2014 Matters : Public events about people, planet and Scotland's Future

Transcription

1 : Public events about people, planet and Scotland's Future In the run up to Scotland's referendum on independence the programme held a series of five public debates and discussions asking what place the environment, poverty and global justice had in Scotland s future. Justice in Foreign Policy, Immigration and Human Rights University of Edinburgh Tuesday 28 January 2014 Speakers left to right: Iain Macwhirter (Political Commentator, Sunday Herald), John Finnie MSP (Independent MSP), John Wilkes (CEO, Scottish Refugee Council), Dr. Kieran Oberman (Immigration as a Human Right, University of Edinburgh), Sarah Beattie-Smith (Assessor to the Rector, University of Edinburgh, Chair). Photos of the event are available here. Event report: What Scotland could be to the world By Alys Mumford, Jubilee Scotland launched at the University of Edinburgh last week. Alys Mumford, Jubilee Scotland, took part in the evening and reports for us on a broad ranging and exciting discussion. The 2014 matters series has kicked off with a challenging debate around immigration, foreign policy and human rights in Edinburgh. Around 100 people gathered to hear from expert speakers about some of the implications that Scottish independence could have for 1/10

2 these vital issues. Iain Macwhirter, columnist for the Sunday Herald began by welcoming the opportunity the 2014 matters programme was giving to move the debate on from whisky and embassies, to what Scotland could be to the world. He offered a vision of Scotland as a small nation wielding great power to set a global example of peace and cooperation, but warned that the SNP s plans may not reflect this. Next up was Dr. Kieran Oberman of Edinburgh University, who discussed the philosophical element of migration and asylum policy. Discussing the economic impacts of global immigration, he argued that fewer restrictions on migration was a key way to reduce global poverty, and that limiting migration limits all other human rights. He added an interesting element to the often discussed possibility of an independent Scotland emulating Nordic countries, by pointing out that Scandinavia has some of the tightest restrictions on immigration in the world! Finally, we heard from John Wilkes, who talked about the brilliant work the Scottish Refugee Council has been doing to engage refugees around the referendum debate. We heard some shocking statistics about the plight of refugees (the equivalent of half of Scotland s population and half of these children have crossed Syria s borders), and were encouraged to fight for greater rights for refugees and asylum speakers in Scotland regardless of where our Government was based. Moving on to the debate, the experts were joined by John Finnie, MSP, representing the Yes Campaign, but unfortunately Mike Dailly of the Labour party was forced to withdraw due to illness. The audience, and people contributing via twitter, asked questions ranging from the moral code which would underpin a new Scotland, discussions of a Scottish or UK constitution, EU membership, and doubts as to whether Scotland would be able ensure its security outside of the UK. 2/10

3 Poverty, Power and Inequality in a Changing World University of Abertay, Dundee Saturday 22 February 2014 Speakers left to right: Katherine Trebeck (Oxfam), Anas Sarwar (Deputy Leader, Scottish Labour Party), Polly Jones (World Development Movement), Mike Weir MP (Westminster spokesperson for Business, Energy and Climate Change, Scottish National Party), Alex Renton (The Guardian/The Times, Chair). A podcast of this event is available on the NIDOS website. Event report: Yes and No campaigns challenged on inequality By Liz Murray, World Development Movement In a refreshing change from independence referendum media coverage dominated by questions of currency and EU membership (important though they are), our second 2014 Matters debate in Dundee looked at the issues of poverty, power and inequality. The event opened with campaigners Polly Jones of WDM and Katherine Trebeck of Oxfam painting a picture of where some of the current pressure points are on these issues; set against the ever-present backdrop of neoliberal economic thinking and decisionmaking. Polly talked about trade, debt, and tax justice, challenging pro-union and pro-independence politicians alike to bring these issues to the fore in their campaigning around the independence referendum. She echoed Jubilee Scotland s work on debt by calling for the cancellation of developing country debt, as well as for Scotland to be a home for international arbitration on debt. And, after describing the dominant, unjust, free trade system that gives corporations the space to trade as they want to around the world, she called on politicians to oppose the latest EU US Trade Deal, known as the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership, which favours big business and threatens public service provision around the world. Lastly Polly talked about tax avoidance and the need for a Robin Hood tax on financial transactions. Having heard 3/10

4 many British politicians say they support it but could only do it if other countries do too, Polly challenged Scottish politicians to aspire to do better and to commit to unilaterally implementing it. Katherine Trebeck described an economic and social system that has gone wrong. She talked about the psychological effects of poverty, about how we have created a society where people are blamed for their unemployment and for their poverty and shocked the audience with the WHO statistic that, globally, the number of suicides is more than deaths through homicides, war and terrorism combined. And she described the socialisation of the risks taken by the very wealthy that resulted in the bank bailouts and now the austerity measures that are hurting the poorest most. Katherine also focused on one of the starkest manifestations of how the labour market and the social safety nets are broken: food banks. Oxfam estimates that around a million people used a food bank in the last year because their benefits had been stopped, their wages didn t pay enough or they just did not have enough money; in the sixth richest country in the world. Joining Polly and Katherine on the panel, ably chaired by Guardian and Times journalist Alex Renton, were Anas Sarwar MP (deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party, and chief coordinator of Unite with Labour, the Labour Party s 2014 Scottish referendum campaign) and Mike Weir MP (SNP Westminster spokesperson on business, energy and climate change, and active campaigner for Scottish independence). With some really interesting questions from the audience on a range of issues, we heard from Anas Sarwar about his belief that the sharing of resources right across the UK for the benefit of people across the UK is the right thing to do, and that this same pooling and sharing of resources across the UK is also the right thing to do when it comes to the international development budget. Mike Weir outlined the four propositions on international development policy included in the independence white paper: more and better aid, debt relief, gender equality and do no harm. And on Polly s challenge on debt cancellation he responded by saying that the Scottish Government would give careful consideration to the question of unjust debt, would work to ensure that Scottish export policy does not create new unjust debt and support moves to establish Scotland as an international centre for debt arbitration. Anas Sarwar perhaps got closest to the heart of the matter with his comment that: the biggest single change we need to make though is to our economic model. Our economic model both here in Scotland, the UK and indeed across the world is a system that is not fit for purpose and that is the real debate that we need to have in our politics. This is where the politicians minds and debates need to be more fully focused, and where systemic change is clearly needed. Whichever way you plan to vote in the independence referendum on September 18th, the economic system, and the concentration of power that leads to inequality and poverty, is surely one of the most important issues to be taken into account and put to both the Yes and the Better Together campaigns to address. 4/10

5 Economic Justice and Scotland s Future University of Aberdeen Wednesday 5 March 2014 Speakers left to right: Maggie Chapman (Co-Convener, Scottish Greens), Christine Jardine (Scottish Liberal Democrats), Alys Mumford (Director, Jubilee Scotland), Ben Wray (Research Coordinator, Jimmy Reid Foundation) and Megan Dunn (AUSA President, Chair). A podcast of this event is available on the NIDOS website. Photos of the event are available here. Event report: Aberdeen asks the way to Economic Justice By Alys Mumford, Jubilee Scotland On March 5th, students, campaigners and curious folk in Aberdeen turned out to the 2014 matters debate on economic justice. Hosted by Aberdeen University Students Association and the student Shared Planet Society, it would be a chance to pose some key questions to Maggie Chapman of the Scottish Green Party and Christine Jardine of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, with input from Jubilee Scotland director Alys Mumford and Ben Wray from the Jimmy Reid Foundation. Alys from Jubilee Scotland kicked the evening off by highlighting some of the huge injustices in global economic systems and pointing out that although so much of the referendum debate played out in the media has seemed to focus on economic issues think currency, oil funds and promises of more money in your pocket either way there has been worryingly little focus on economic justice. Offering some shocking statistics on global debt, for example that Indonesia still owes the UK over 340million which was lent to the dictator General Sahuaro and used for genocide and repression, she challenged the panellists to explain whether independence or staying in the union would have more success in helping us be part of the solution to the world s economic problems.next up was Ben Wray of the Jimmy Reid foundation who offered the audience a view of the economic injustice present in the UK today. Reminding the audience of the definition of justice being giving to each what her or she is due, he highlighted numerous examples of this simply not happening. Citing the work of the New Economics Foundation, he examined the idea that the value we offer society is not reflected in what we earn. Finally he explored the issue of in-work poverty facing many people in Scotland today 60% of 5/10

6 children in poverty have at least one parent in work and challenged the panel to present their view of what a socially and economically just economy could look like in Scotland. The audience were then invited to put questions to our panel on a range of issues including the gender pay gap, taxation, and whether or not being independent would be better for debt justice. Given that both Maggie Chapman and Christine Jardine are standing as candidates in the upcoming European elections in May, it was also a brilliant opportunity to quiz them both about the impact that the European Union could have on economic justice. While both acknowledged the issues of the EU, highlighting its undemocratic nature, they were convinced that if people across Scotland and the UK engage with it, Europe could be a force for economic good. The final round of audience questions focused on economic justice at home, with people quizzing the panellists on the future of the welfare system, and the potential for changing the way we view the entire economy. Christine Jardine called for a reform of the welfare system to ensure that it reached the people who needed it most, while Maggie Chapman argued for a citizens income to recognise the value of unpaid work such as childcare. It was a great event, and discussions continued in full flow even as the organisers had to run to the station for their trains home! 6/10

7 Energy, Environment and Climate Change University of Glasgow Wednesday 19 March 2014 Speakers left to right: Willie Rennie MSP (Leader, Scottish Liberal Democrats), Sarah Boyack MSP (Scottish Labour, former Scottish Environment Minister), Patrick Harvie MSP (Co-Convenor, Scottish Greens), Paul Wheelhouse MSP (Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Scottish Government, SNP), Judith Robertson (Director, SeeMe, Chair) A video of highlights of this event is available here. Photos of the event are available here. Event report: An environment for meaningful debate By Gail Wilson, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland There was quite a buzz in the room as people gathered at Glasgow Uni for the fourth speaker event in the series. Around 120 people came along to hear and take part in a debate about the Scottish independence referendum and energy, environment and climate change. Many thanks to Glasgow University Climate Action Society for their help in organising this event. We had an impressive line-up of speakers, with Scottish Climate Change Minister, Paul Wheelhouse MSP (SNP); former Environment Minister, Sarah Boyack MSP (Labour), Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Willie Rennie MSP and the Scottish Greens CoConvenor, Patrick Harvie MSP. The event was chaired by Judith Robertson, Director of SeeMe Scotland. And we had a big audience to challenge them. It was promising to be an interesting evening. We had questions from the audience, from Twitter, and a number submitted in advance on a wide range of topics from a very clued-up audience, ranging from bees and GM crops to investment in renewables, land reform and nuclear waste. The debate generated the following questions: How might a Yes or No vote impact on whether GM crops are allowed into Scotland? Are Scottish climate change targets compatible with plans to exploit North Sea oil and gas? Would an independent Scotland be better able to deal with nuclear waste? 7/10

8 How could an independent Scotland ensure banks like RBS make more ethical investments and reduce their focus on fossil fuels? What impact might leaving the UK have on the money allocated for environmental protection in Scotland? What would a Yes or Not vote mean in terms of a financial transaction tax, otherwise known as the Robin Hood tax, which could raise funds to tackle climate change, among other things? Air pollution in Scotland would a Yes or a No vote make a difference? Land reform and empowering community decision-making Half way through the debate, the Chair asked the audience to put up their hands to indicate whether they believed Scotland would be more sustainable as part of the UK or as an independent country, with a third option for those undecided. The Yeses had it, but there were a significant proportion of still-undecided voters. A short film from the event will be made available soon here on the website, including some contributions from the speakers after the debate. If you couldn t make it along on the night, but would be interested in hearing the answers given, check back here again soon. Many of the questions asked during the debate, as with the vast majority of questions relating to the independence referendum, do not have a clear-cut answer. These were, in the main, questions of policy and would be dependent on: a) in the event of a No vote, what (further) powers were given, or retained by Holyrood and which political party or parties were in power; or b) if Scotland voted for independence, what powers were negotiated with the UK Government and, again, who is elected as the government of an independent Scotland. The event in Glasgow was a thought-provoking evening, perhaps generating more questions than answers. Did it make anyone s mind up about how they will vote? Possibly. But what we can certainly hope it helped to do was to get people asking 8/10

9 themselves, and their friends and family, about what the referendum really means to them. The referendum debate doesn t have to just be about the economy and currency and who owns North Sea oil. There are much wider issues to be discussed and questions to be answered. Regardless of the outcome in September, the next six months provide an opportunity to really think about what kind of country we want to live in. And not just in terms of whether we are part of the UK or independent, but what we value, how we can achieve fairness, equality and justice for everyone living in Scotland and in other parts of the world that are affected by our decisions. Climate change, inequality, environment, human rights and social justice could and should be at the core of the debate during the next six months and beyond. Scotland s Place in Building a Just World Augustine United Church, Edinburgh Wednesday 30 April 2014 Speakers left to right: Jim Murphy MP (UK Shadow Secretary of State for International Development), Humza Yousaf MSP (Scottish Government Minister for External Affairs and International Development), Lorna Gold (Head of Policy and Advocacy, Trocaire), Jamie Livingston (Head of Oxfam Scotland), Claire Stewart (STV, Chair). A podcast of this event is available on the NIDOS website. Photos of the event are available here. No event report is available. 9/10

10 *** was organised by: All enquiries about should be directed to: NIDOS, Thom House, 5 Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PR /10