Energy of Youth for Independence

Rory Hamilton 16th September 2021

Reflecting on my first SNP Conference, I am full of optimism, not just the prospect of a referendum in 2023, but that Scotland’s future is in good hands. 

While the online format of the conference deprived it of the usual buzz, there was certainly passion, energy and brilliant ideas in abundance among the party’s younger members. With young people leading the charge on motions put forward by SNP Socialists and the Young Scots for Independence (YSI), my faith in Scottish politics is reassured.

To this end, now, more than ever, we need more young voices in politics. We are the demographic that will be most affected by decisions made at all levels of government, and we will be the ones left to pick up the pieces of the planet and put it back together. It is therefore imperative that young people are actively involved in political campaigning and holding the government and local representatives to account. 

Not only that, but we need young people to run for elected office, whether that is as an MSYP (Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament), or whether that is standing in a council or parliamentary election. Having young people in these positions ensures that the issues and needs of young people are represented and addressed. Young people also bring to these roles a vast range of experiences and many qualities that many of our older politicians lack: altruism, candour, and empathy.

We have already seen the way young people can challenge the status quo, inspire political action, and enact policy change at the highest levels. Take, for instance, last summer’s exam fiasco. In the wake of nearly a quarter of teacher gradings being moderated or downgraded by the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority), pupils across the country protested and campaigned to have them reinstated. 

The Scottish Greens’ education spokesperson, Ross Greer MSP, applauded their efforts in parliament, “Listening to pupils and teachers is essential … Of course, if they had been listened to in the first place, as we had called for, much of this fiasco could have been avoided.” The success of their efforts was marked by a climbdown by the First Minister, “Despite our best intentions, I do acknowledge that we did not get this right.” She continued, “I’m not prepared to have this year’s cohort of pupils, particularly from deprived communities, thinking that their hard work at school doesn’t count or the system is determined to be against them.”

On a larger scale, the efforts of the world’s youth, headed by Greta Thunberg, have arguably been transformative in raising a sense of urgency about the climate crisis. Starting as a 1-person strike outside the Swedish Parliament in 2018, Thunberg’s Skolstrejk för klimatet became a global movement, not only casting shame on adult politicians everywhere, but being a celebrated cause for heightening awareness about our own personal contributions to climate change. 

Thunberg’s movement has also brought other non-white and indigenous voices into the conversation, highlighting the disproportionate impact our actions have on those communities, as well as sharing a platform with other young climate activists such as Vanessa Nakate, Quannah Chasinghorse, and India Logan-Riley. 

If the impact of these young women is any example, then it certainly represents the voice, the power and the influence that most political movements can only dream of. 

So, what does this mean for independence? 

Well, the movement certainly needs a boost. If I came away from conference brimming with energy, the same could not be said for all my party colleagues. Perhaps this was the result of a combination of factors: the format (being online), the enduring strains of the pandemic, and the ongoing internal conflicts within the independence movement. 

Young people are ideally placed to be the energisers and the uniters of the independence movement. Not only do we bring all the energy and diversity I mentioned above, but we are also the group most likely to support independence. 

Last October, at the height of the swell of support for independence, an Ipsos Mori poll showed as many as 79% of 16- to 24-year-olds and 68% of 25- to 34-year-olds supported independence. More recently, in May, polls by PanelBase and YouGov found that 72% of voters between 16 and 35, and 70% of people aged 18-24 would vote “yes” when excluding “don’t knows.”

With that support comes a passion and a drive to take our future into our hands. If we’re the ones to live with the results, then we must absolutely be the ones to shape and lead the debate on Scotland’s future. And it’s not as if those leaders aren’t there. One only has to look at the YWCA 30 under 30 list to see that for the last five years, at least one, if not two, pro-independence activists have featured in the annual list. Scroll back a little further and recall Mhairi Black MP’s maiden speech in parliament, which bore all the marks of an enthusiastic young activist with altruism, candour, and empathy.

The people who will win the argument for independence are our youth. As such, the independence movement should be putting its faith in young people to lead. Some might argue that on a decision as big as independence that we shouldn’t take any chances, we must be absolutely confident we’re going to win and we must have a risk-free strategy to guarantee it. However, if there is one risk worth taking it should be taking a chance on our young people.

There are ample opportunities coming up for young people to get their voice heard. The Scottish Government recently announced funding for a COP26 Youth Climate Conference, in addition to which YoungScot are advertising COP26 Local Champions roles which young people can be a part of. Then between the 9th and 21st of November is the Scottish Youth Parliament election where all young people in Scotland aged 14-25 will be able to vote for their local MSYP to represent the issues that matter to them. And next May will be the Scottish Local Authority elections where young voices are desperately needed to join local council teams across Scotland. Other fantastic movements that offer opportunities for young people to get involved include Fridays For Future, the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Youth group, One Young World, to name a few, and of course Common Weal Youth!