Indyref 2

Well, I’ve spent the nine hours or so of this day’s morning here in Glasgow watching Europe beginning to unravel.  Desperately sad.

Huge implications for Scotland.  I voted remain, along with the rest of Scotland, and in 2014 voted yes in indyref but was in the minority then.  See this blog post and this article.  The four points at the end of the blog post regarding higher education I still believe are critically important — and the lunacies of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF – see Stefan Collini and Peter Scott for just some of the critique) reinforce my conviction that the English political HE experiment, started by Labour and continued by Coalition & Tory governments, is as hopelessly wrong as the English and Welsh EU referendum result.

On identity I’ve always been Scots first, European second and British a long way third.  The only solution for Scotland lies in the implications of the Scots casting the strongest national vote in the disUK to remain in Europe, when Conservative England (ably assisted by the Labour vote in Wales & northern England) is dragging us all into an abyss.  Even London is protesting — or should it be Scotlond.  For our First Minister Nicola Sturgeon  delivered what was easily the best political speech of the morning — determined, Europe-centred, Scotland-focused, expansive and welcoming to the rest of the world.  And indyref2 is now underway.

Before her speech, black despair.  After it, determination to act.  And that was all before lunch.  Nine hours that changed the UK forever.  My family and I spent the rest of the day trying to understand the implications of it all for Scotland, for rUK, for Europe, for Higher Education, for all our lives.  Now, before bed, only a large Laphroaig meets the moment.