National Anthems

REVIEWOF88

The Proclaimers: Looking for a clearer vision of an independent Scotland

'We are not a political band,' was Craig and Charlie Reid's oft-repeated exhortation to journalists at the beginning National of the year. By the end of October they were on the streets of Govan with Jim Sillars, dishing out smiles Anthems and autographs and vowing not to pay the poll tax. Hundreds of election leaf- lets carrying their photo- graph told voters: 'We want Jim Sillars to win here in Govan because we don't want In a spectacularly successful year, Scots to watch Scotland die.' Two duo The Proclaimers captured the hearts days before the poll they could be heard blasting out and political instincts of their their song Cap In Hand on an generation. Joan McCourt interviewed SNP party political broad- them cast. We fight when they ask

16 MARXISM TODAY JANUARY 1989 us/We boast/then we cower/ kind of Scottish Red Wedge? half of the 'What's Left' of sentiment from across the We beg/for a piece/of what's Craig: 'Red Wedge didn't event's opening debate in Atlantic, particularly, but already ours . . . work because if you talk poli- Glasgow was devoted to not exclusively, from that In the crisis which followed tics too much people get pis- attempts to define Scottish- distant cousin of the Scots/ Sillars' elimination of a sed off with it. Then again, ness without descending into Irish folk music: country and 19,000 Labour majority in the Bragg and Weller were doing the sticky quagmire of sen- western. Songs like Sean and Glasgow constituency, Dr it on the back of the Labour timentality. Like many Sunshine On Leith feature James D Young, the Scottish Party, which is in decline. young people, The Proclaim- country values as well as labour historian launched We'd be doing it on the back ers feel no such need to tus- slide guitars. Family, com- the Movement For A Social- of the SNP and the nationalist sle with their own sense of munity, work and religion ist Scotland. 'The Proclaim- movement, which is going themselves. In recent polls, are all important to The Proc- ers' grasp of the constitution- up.' Charlie: 'Yes, if you're 50% of 18-24 year-olds laimers. al crisis is unsurpassed,' seen to be honestly cam- favoured all-out separation. Charlie: 'Sam Cooke on his wrote Dr Young in a Decem- paigning for things that are Charlie: 'People know they own is a bigger musical influ- ber article explaining his mo- achievable when the Labour are Scottish. I can't see why ence than all folk music. Folk tives and quoting from Party is doing so little, it the unionist Left in Scotland is in your background, sure, another track on the twins' could be attractive to a lot of recognise the cultural and like going into a pub in Much- Sunshine On Leith album. socialists. And most impor- political entity of Nicaragua, ty and hearing an accordion What do you do when demo- tantly the Scottish working or black nationalism in South band. And blue grass music cracy fails you?IWhat do you class must take sides. I re- Africa, or justifiable strug- can be traced back to the do when minority means member Tony Benn saying gle like the Palestinians and bagpipes, so folk is an in- you? only women can free women, then equate the awareness of direct influence.' Craig: The Auchtermuchty twins only blacks can free blacks. Scottish nationality with 'Most of the stuff the old man were among Labour's lost You can lend your support, fascism.' Craig: 'We couldn't played around the house millions in the 1983 general but in the end it's down to the give a shit for Scottish cul- when we were growing up election. Lost forever, they individuals themselves.' ture because culture is not was black - Dixieland jazz, voted SNP and joined the English music critics who something that you preserve, R&B and soul.' party shortly afterwards. approve of The Proclaimers it's something that you do. Drawing from the music of Scotland's most politically- have called them 'the voice We have as much culture in other cultures has in no way effective pop group see of the other Britain', extend- Scotland now as we ever did. diminished The Proclaimers' music as an emotional, per- ing their Scottishness to take It's just different. Even reputation as integral artists sonal release, quite distinct in a new regionalism offer- something like a football making 'honest' music. This from the committee rooms ing hope to the disenfranch- chant you sing on the ter- accolade has been awarded and sloganising of party poli- ised of Jarrow and Toxteth. races is different from Eng- by the self-appointed guar- tics. Yet it is precisely this Such interpretations down- land. So are the council dians of musical authentic- distinction which makes grade Scottish national houses and the universities.' ity. But what makes some them so effective. Charlie identity and encourage Scots Admirers have cast The kinds of music more real Reid sees nothing unusual in to believe that 'breaking Proclaimers as urban angels, than others? Craig: 'It's a this: 'We think of ourselves away' means selfishly aban- avenging the cruel, kitsch personal thing. It's not about as popular entertainers who doning their northern neigh- joke played on their country musical forms and it's cer- happen to support the nation- bours to the ravages of by Scotch myth-makers of tainly not about whether you al liberation movement in Thatcherism. the past. Instead of a national use a synthesizer or not.' Scotland.' Charlie: 'We don't speak for culture, we had a whole set of Authenticity, then, is not Did using their celebrity anybody but ourselves. I national jokes: from Briga- necessarily gained by del- status to sell the politics feel think people on the Left who doon to the White Heather ving far into your past. It is uncomfortable? Charlie: 'No. are committed to the Union Club, to the 'peak-under-his- possible to borrow from But if we had not already would like to blur the issue kilt' seaside postcards. The other cultures and still be been activists it might have by saying we've got similar twins are not in favour of true to your own. There is a made us feel uncomfortable. problems to these areas. We throwing all of this historical certain schizophrenia driv- It was just a big version of have, economically. I'd love baggage away - even if it is ing rock music in Scotland: a things we've done before.' to see them governing them- embarrassing. They see need to mimic Americana in Craig: 'It certainly didn't selves as well. But we cannot Scottish culture as some- order to compensate for the have a negative effect - par- wait for them. Nobody, no thing which has a global unrealised potential of the ticularly since others like Pat matter where they are, perspective - even at its culture you left back home. Kane and Ricky from Deacon Wales or Northern Ireland, most superficially parochial. Only The Proclaimers have Blue backed it too. There's can tell us we can't govern Craig: 'Harry Lauder wasn't realised the full potential of obviously a mood of change ourselves. But we're not just aiming to be popular that culture, by dragging it in Scotland, a change in poli- nationalists, that's not why among 5m people. He was into a marriage with blues, tical identity, which is com- we joined the SNP. We Joined basically writing great soul and country. ing out in these so-called because, as Scots,- we were music hall songs, wester- Craig: 'We are pretty schi- celebrities supporting the sick of seeing our part of the nised, even American main- zophrenic on paper. We re- SNP. I think in the end people world condemned to perpe- stream music of the day - but gard what we do as being will be forced to take sides: tual capitalist government. in his own way with the stu- every bit as American as Hue whether they want to pre- The way forward for social- pid kilt, singing in his own And Cry, Deacon Blue and serve the Union or get out of ism is for small nations to accent. Harry Lauder is Scot- Simple Minds. Maybe it's be- it. We're doing it a bit ahead take the initiative. That's the tish culture no matter what cause, although we're not the of other people, but eventual- first step.' the snobs say.' best group in the world, we ly everyone from celebrity The whole issue of the The Proclaimers' own do express ourselves more sportsmen to journalists will national identity of Scotland cultural contribution is hard- clearly on our own terms. have to decide.' causes a great deal of ly home-grown. They draw Maybe we have thicker skins Are they advocating some anguished analysis. Almost their sound and a large chunk than some others ...' •

17 MARXISM TODAY JANUARY 1989 REVIEW OF 88

future, and then act upon it, nationalism expressed at tish Assembly provides. Striking was manifested at Govan. Govan, as 'thinking with the Rather than television Initial Labour reactions to- blood'; the wavering-Labour, 'radiating oblivion, obliterat- A Vocal wards the SNP's victory pro-Scottish, anti-Tory ing discussion and extermi- strove manfully to deny the citizen is either a childish nating understanding of the Chord seriousness, even the re- dolt or an incipient fascist. context of events', as Baud- sponsibility, of the voters The ordinary ability to rillard was quoted saying in The rising tide of Scottish and their intentions. reason, calculate, test the the Listener recently, the discontent - evident Donald Dewar, a man vis- truth-claims of the dominant sight and sound of recognis- throughout 1988 - seemed ibly at panic stations, brutal- ideology and find them able people using every to wash over the Govan ly trivialised the disaster on wanting, is utterly refused. level of articulacy and by-election in November. tv as a 'flash flood result', With the findings of address - from nostalgic Patrick Kane of Hue And irrational and motiveless as Labour's National Organis- ex-miners to pragmatic Cry, gives a personal re- weather. Govanites were 'in- ing Committee report on working mums, confident flection on that historic dulging in the luxury of a Govan now in, another teachers to exploding teena- moment protest vote' before the next metaphor of incapacity has gers, jaded party hacks to election, which almost made been smuggled into post- strident trans-political 'the Scottish question' sound Govan discourse: the couch radicals - is energising and like a street-corner proposi- potato. The main reason for educational. tion, or a pig-out on choco- the party's defeat, according The fantasy and simulation late and burgers; the Scot- to director of organisation, of this piece of tv entertain- tish working class's desire Joyce Gould, was Bob Gilles- ment is that of real democra- running rampant and un- pie's poor showing on Scot- tic involvement in the deci- trammelled again. What? tish Television's last tele- sion-making of one's own They want effective political vised debate before voting society - and a more subver- control as well as affordable day. Party HQ will now sive dream could not be mortgages and Spanish holi- select a candidate, over- imagined. days? Too much, too much! ruling the local activists if The specific danger of let- Incidentally, Dewar's im- necessary, who is most cap- ting Scots indulge in free agery chillingly matches able of coping with the communicative action is Rifkind's admonition of the highly televisual atmos- perfectly illustrated in the Scottish middle classes at phere of mid-term by- stramash caused by Scottish the last general election; elections: a telegenic, sound- Assembly's poll of its 1000 their Labour vote was also a biting glamour boy/girl representative Scots before 'luxury', an indulgence whose 'confident tv perso- the 1987 general election. which rested on knowing nality' they hope will sway It's dangerous when Scots that the Tories would win the viewing voter more 'The anti-Establishment vote effectively than the coher- get together to talk. At the anyway in England. For is interestingly figured as a MT 'What's Left' event in either man, the anti- ence (or incoherence) of Glasgow Tech, on the Satur- Establishment vote - verifiable political prop- matter of sensuality, appe- day before the Govan by- whether it's a Tory or osals. tite, a breaking-out of what election, I sat in on a panel Labour status quo - is in- Yet there exist media EP Thompson has described discussing 'Scottish pop - terestingly figured as a mat- forms which treat Scottish who's in control?' By the end ter of sensuality, appetite, a citizens as more than easily- as 'the poverty of desire' in of an exhilarating 2.5-hour breaking-out of what EP manipulable telly addicts. political culture.' debate, all 50 or 60 of us had Thompson has described as STV's explicitly-titled dis- thrashed out what was vir- 'the poverty of desire' in cussion programme, Scot- The tv Assembly members tually a programme for fu- political culture. tish Assembly, certainly pro- were fully informed of each ture Scottish cultural poli- The possibility of an active, vides what Jean Baudrillard party's manifesto, by three tics. questioning, rationalising would call 'simulation' of researchers whose private Dispersing into the after- Scottish electorate obvious- public opinion: 100 Scots, political orientations were noon, we were aware of the ly scares most of the local market-researched by Mori Labour, Tory and SNP. When difficulty of putting all our Labour apparatchiks rigid. to reflect the class, educa- the result saw an atypical glorious discourse on pop- The more mechanical the tional and economic patterns percentage increase for the cultural activism and post- politico, the more une- of Scottish society, who elec- SNP, the Labour Party Fordism in Scotland into quivocal their condescen- tronically vote three or four raised cries of bias and practice: but the experience sion - towards both citizens times a show on aspects of a infiltration. had been truly rewarding. and party activists. main topic. Perhaps the incident re- We agreed that such serious John Maxton MP, availing The results of the shows' veals instead how perilous it speech among Scots about himself of The Scotsman's polls have been broadly in is to allow the Scottish their conditions and possibi- 'Govan Debate' slot, char line with others published - citizen to think and act in an lities should be continued acterised the notion of an a fundamental desire for undistorted, directly demo- and developed. If many anti-Thatcher electoral pact greater home rule, if not cratic environment. If know- more people felt as clear in Scotland with these consi- complete separation, with ledge is power, who knows headed and politically- dered words: 'If we all unite Labour's Assembly and the what an educated, agitated capable as we did that day, in Scotland and shout boo SNP's independence in and organised Scottish pol- then surely things would long enough then the wicked Europe framing that con- ity might want? After all, the change? fairy will disappear in a puff sensus. current political arrange- A few days later, the dan- of blue smoke.' Kinnock has But the most fascinating ment is, as Neal Ascherson gers of letting Scottish similarly described the ex- aspect is the spectacle of has said, simply 'a manner of citizens discuss their own tremely pragmatic Scottish opinion-forming that Scot- speaking'. •

19 MARXISM TODAY JANUARY 1989