[…] When I talk of the
Nat Trap I refer to those being caught up in the Nationalistic mood. It is fantastic
to see so many people still willing to fight for what they believe in and that so
many haven’t been disillusioned with the result but for RIC as a group, we must
be wary of such Nationalism. RIC was founded on the basis of gaining independence
as a means to an end rather than independence as an ends in itself. We want to see
an independent Scotland for democratic reasons and because we see socialism achievable
in Scotland while almost impossible in Britain. However, since the referendum there
has been such a concentration on the independence issue that it seems the real reasons
the group started might be falling by the wayside. As Socialists and others on the
Left we cannot forget that while independence is what we want, we are still living
under the control of right-wing Westminster, facing Austerity along with inequality
and all the other wonderful bonus’ we get for being part of Great Britain. We must
remember that these things too must be fought against. There has been much talk
of devo-max and continuing the fight for independence and while RIC will always
argue for independence, I propose that we now concentrate on other matters. The
SNP have large numbers and will make the argument for Indy/Devo-Max but who is arguing
against Austerity, who is arguing for left-wing politics etc? It must be RIC.
On the face of it the
Radical Independence Campaign are a ragtag grouping of lefties who can only see
Scottish independence as a route to Socialism. But, in reality RIC was arguably
the second biggest group in the Yes movement and possibly the most effective at
gaining votes. What is most astounding about the movement is what it has achieved.
The desired goal was independence as a means to Socialism and even though the referendum
was lost, it still achieved something remarkable. […]
Though it will not be
popular, I believe the Radical Independence Campaign must change its name along
with its form. For one, having independence in the name narrows the perimeters of
debate whether us within RIC like it or not as those we debate with will always
refer to it negatively. Also, the campaign itself is over and we find ourselves
at another stage all together. Campaign also gives connotations of short-term while
RIC has to be the opposite if it is to make a real difference in Scotland. For a
new challenge we must have a new name. […]
'The Next Step For The RIC', Conor Cheyne, Bellacaledonia, 4 November 2014
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