Introduction by Stephen Allen Head of Learning and Programmes, National Museums Scotland

Introduction By Stephen Allen Head of Learning and Programmes, National Museums Scotland Our Big Ideas programme gives senior secondary • Scotland 2020, a film of interviews with students the chance to debate current issues in the students from Biggar High School, James context of Scotland’s National Collections, to hear Gillespie’s High School and Inverkeithing High from high profile speakers, and to network with School, recorded prior to the conference. other schools. Events focus on broad curriculum topics such as citizenship, international development • Talks and discussion points. Talks are and climate change. The trusted neutrality of the presented verbatim and edited due to National Museum of Scotland makes it a great venue space constraints. for young people to come together and discuss issues • Professor Michael Keating: What does that matter to them. independence mean? Scotland in the 21st Century: A Changing • Dr Gerry Hassan: Stories of Scotland’s Nation? took place in June 2013. Students past, present and future considered how Scotland is changing and what effects those changes may have on our culture, • Andy Wightman: Who runs Scotland? Elite economy, communities, and landscape. Chaired rule and radical democracy by award-winning writer and broadcaster Lesley • Emily Shaw MSYP: Why is this vote Riddoch, the day included talks, workshop sessions important to young people? and a Q&A with speakers. • : Pupils’ comments on the day This report of the conference proceedings gives a Appendix 1 snapshot from 2013 of the views of 200 young • Appendix 2 : Workshop responses: What do people on the issue of Scotland’s future. We hope you want Scotland in 2020 to look like? that this learning resource will help facilitate further discussion in the classroom. It includes: • Appendix 3 : Key objects from the National Collections and what they tell us about the story of Scotland Scotland in the 21st Century: A Changing Nation? 1 Participants Auchmuty High School James Gillespies High School Fife Edinburgh Biggar High School St Joseph’s College South Lanarkshire Dumfries Broughton High School St Mary’s Music School Edinburgh Edinburgh Coatbridge High School St Maurice’s High School North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire Greenfaulds High School Woodmill High School North Lanarkshire Fife Inverkeithing High School Fife National Museums Scotland is the country’s It delivers a programme of outreach and partnership national museum service and houses a wealth of projects, taking collections across the country treasures representing more than two centuries into schools and providing special loans to other of collecting. Collections take in everything from museums. Scottish and classical archaeology, to decorative and applied arts, from world cultures and social history to The views or opinions presented in this report science, technology and the natural world. are solely those of the participants in the event, Scotland in the 21st Century: A Changing We also provide advice, expertise and support to Nation? and do not necessarily represent those of the wider community, creating a first class service National Museums Scotland. that informs, educates and inspires. It achieves this by offering a packed programme of exhibitions and National Museums Scotland is a charitable body, events at four national museums and draws in more registered in Scotland: than two million visitors a year. Scottish Charity No SC 011130. 2 Scotland in the 21st Century: A Changing Nation? Introductory remarks Lesley Riddoch, Chair www.LesleyRiddoch.com @LesleyRiddoch I’ve lived in every part of the United you were to put up a Kingdom, but I think my background and power station in Hyde Lesley is one of Scotland’s my culture is very Scottish, and as I’ve Park you would be best known commentators got older I’ve been able to see that, because you given a £30 subsidy for and broadcasters. She compare how you are when you go to other places, every watt of energy writes weekly columns for with what you find there. A recent poll said only 21% you produce. You have the The Scotsman and The of young people who could vote in the referendum to pay to join the grid Sunday Post and is a regular want independence. It’s quite close to how people in the remote areas of contributor to The Guardian saw themselves – were they Scottish, were they Scotland because of and Newsnight Scotland. British? How people feel culturally will be something that pricing regime. On Lesley has won awards for we’ll tackle today. the other hand people her programmes on BBC say the reason we have Radio 4, BBC Radio 2 and When we’re looking at the question of independence, investment in green it’s kind of a big deal for us, it’s something that energy is because BBC Radio Scotland. She’s hasn’t happened in any of our lifetimes, but actually, we’re part of a huge also committed to making in Ireland there was an independence struggle, and it market at the moment Scotland a better place for was a very bloody one. It sits in the back of people’s in the UK. If we were its communities. A founding minds here when they think about independence, on our own, England, member of the Isle of Eigg because it’s the only one we’ve been taught about. which is the largest Heritage Trust, which led to I have been looking at some of the other countries set of customers, the successful community that are our neighbours, because Norway, for the could choose to buy-out in 1997, Lesley also folk who live in the north of Scotland, was actually take its energy from chaired the taskforce on Rum the country that ran them for a long time. Norway somewhere else. So in 2008, to transfer control of became independent in 1905 and it was quite a we could have all that assets to the local community. whole-hearted movement. There are many different energy and we might ways things can go, and today is going to try and not be able to supply look at both sides of the argument. it, then we’d have a problem. You get arguments on I was involved in a marine energy project for three both sides as to whether it would make more sense years, which was looking at the whole of Europe. or less sense which way you go. Scotland has unbelievable potential in this area. You should demand answers until you understand Everybody in this room should consider becoming the balance. And each time, there will be a balance. “There is nothing in life that is actually There is nothing in life that is actually black and white, you’ll have a balance of interests, and you’ll black or white, you’ll have a hear that today. balance of interests…” a marine engineer because it’s the future! At the moment you can expand renewable energy projects if you know you’re going to get the money for the energy. And the difficulty is that the way energy is charged, it gets charged higher the further away from the people you are. It’s really trying to make sure that power stations are located beside big cities, not away off in the blue yonder, because you lose energy on the way. What that means is that renewable energy costs a lot to enter the grid, and that’s the reason that some islands like Orkney and Shetland, which are awash with green energy, are not actually contributing to the grid at the moment, because they can’t afford to make the connection. Those rules are UK rules, and they’re created by Ofgen and Ofgen is based in the south of England. If Scotland in the 21st Century: A Changing Nation? 3 What does independence mean? Professor Michael Keating www.abdn.ac.uk I have a lifelong traditional sense. We’re seeing that some of the Michael is Chair in Scottish interest in questions smaller countries in the European Union are clearly Politics at the University about identity, not independent. According to the referendum of Aberdeen. His research independence, states and prospectus, we’ll remain in NATO. Again, fine, I don’t interests include European nationalities, but it’s not think we can defend ourselves, we have to be part politics, nationalism and really given me any answers of a broader defence structure, but it means that public policy. He published unfortunately. I don’t know we don’t have one of the more traditional things The Independence of Scotland what independence means. independent countries have, which is the right to in 2009. Michael is director The fact is that independence run our own defence policies, because we have a of the Scottish Centre for is a very, very complicated collective defence policy. Constitutional Change (www. thing. It has multiple dimensions and I just want futureukandscotland.ac.uk), a Money matters to sketch out some of the consortium which is examining We’re also told that if we vote ‘yes’ we’ll keep the meanings of that. the issues arising from the pound. Again, there may be good reason for doing Scottish constitutional debate. this, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious as this A simple question? debate unfolds that this is not independence in The referendum question itself the classic sense either, because if you share your is fairly simple. In fact, it’s a very simple question: currency with another country, that limits what you should Scotland be an independent country: yes can do in relation to economic policy. We’ve seen or no? We at least have a very straightforward in the Eurozone countries that they have to obey question, but the problem is, it’s not at all clear very strict rules about their budgets, their deficits, exactly what that means, because in the modern their debts, their taxation policies.

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