How Radical Are Scotland's Radical Independence Coalition?

Members of the Radical Independence Campaign (Photo courtesy of the RIC)

The Radical Independence Coalition is exactly what you'd expect it to be. Made up of a passionate bunch of left-wing activists, the RIC campaigns not only for Scottish independence, but also for the radical approach to governance it hopes to see a new Scotland adopt should its citizens vote Yes this Thursday the 18th.

As a left-wing Scottish person myself, I'm drawn to their idealism, though still unsure of the practicality of it all. For instance, their website says they want a country free of discrimination. Bar those white British nationalists burning crosses in public, that's a goal I'm sure most of us would get behind. However, independence doesn't necessarily mean racists will stop being racist, or homophobes will stop being homophobic.

The group are also keen on the idea of a country free of nuclear weapons – a slightly more realistic proposal, as Scottish ministers have said the UK's nuclear submarines currently based at Scotland's Faslane naval facility will be relocated if the country becomes independent. Though arguably a worthy one, a slightly more controversial proposal, made by RIC member Jonathon Shafi, is that an independent Scotland could "have a Palestinian embassy and support sanctions against Israel".

That said, Pat Smith – my contact at the RIC – was quick to point out that they are a group of individuals, not a political party, meaning they share similar goals but don't all toe a party line, or have any concrete policies. I wondered whether this could become a problem if the group were to achieve their primary aim – independence – and were forced to adhere to a collective approach when it comes to campaigning the specifics of constitutional reform.

So who are the RIC? Idealists, reactionaries or a legitimate voice of Scotland's future? To get a flavour of the group and their principles, I decided to accompany a few members as they went canvassing around Edinburgh.

Sean (centre) and Pat (right) with other members of the RIC

I'd arranged to meet a couple of members at the Yes office for Craigmillar and Niddrie, one of the most deprived areas in Scotland. Walking past a load of kids flying Yes balloons, I was greeted by Sean, a guy in his early twenties with squirrel red hair and a leather jacket. He offered me a seat and told me about the three marches he's organising for the 18th, handing me a poster that read: "The Pied Piper of Niddrie Invites All Yes Voters to Take Part in the Short Walk to Freedom." The marches will see people accompanied to their polling station by bagpipers, with a promise of "flags and balloons for all" and "face painting for kids and adults".

Sean is primarily a campaigner for Yes Craigmillar, though he's also a member of the RIC. He told me that he had no interest in politics until just over a year ago, when he "got chatting" to the late Margo MacDonald – a veteran Scottish politician and campaigner for independence, who died in April of this year – in the Western General Hospital.

He said he'd been disillusioned with politics ever since his local Labour MSP, Kezia Dugdale, "lied to [his] face" about a school he'd hoped to save from closure. "She said, 'I'm here to do anything I can to save the school,'" he started, "but then went and wrote an article saying exactly the opposite. For ages I thought all politicians were the same, just out to lie and get what they can from you, then I met Margo and she told me all about this and I ended up getting really involved."

I reached out to Scottish Labour for a comment from Dugdale, but they are yet to respond.

As we walked around Niddrie trying to gauge voting intentions, Sean pointed to a group of teenage boys. "I bet these people terrify you, don't they? I'm used to them," he said. I admit that I flinched the first time one screeched up next to us in his car, but they'd been nothing but courteous after that, greeting us whenever we passed by.

Sean claimed to have dealt with a fair bit of abuse while canvassing around Edinburgh, telling me someone had spat on him as he was handing out flyers. "I was just standing there, and, you know, for that to happen… it was really dispiriting," he said. "I must admit, I have a wee bit of a chip on my shoulder. When you go round the more affluent areas and they tell you they’re voting No, I think, 'Well, you would, wouldn’t you?’"

Earlier, Pat had told me that the No campaign hadn't even bothered visiting this area, instead focusing solely on the city centre. "The only person from No who's been round here is [Labour MP for Edinburgh East] Sheila Gilmore," she said, "and she made them so angry she pretty much did our job for us."

When I contacted the Better Together campaign, a spokeswoman dismissed the suggestion that they're ignoring areas like Niddrie as "complete nonsense". I later received an email from their head of broadcast, Ross MacRae, saying "We're campaigning across every community in Scotland with activists who come from all walks of life."

After knocking on the doors of a short list of undecided voters, Sean and I found Pat and some of the other campaigners from the RIC. I asked her what the RIC plan to do should Scotland become independent, and she started by making it clear that they're not affiliated with any mainstream political party, though added that they do have links with the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament, The Socialist Party and The Green Party.

"We exist for people who are going, 'Well, I’d quite like independence, but I’m not keen on the SNP.' Or. as many people say, 'I don’t like Alex Salmond,'" said Pat. "So, because we’re not part of a party – or associated in that way with any of the mainstream parties – we appeal to these individuals.

"The Yes campaign will disappear on the 19th whatever the result, but we will continue after that. With the best will in the world, we won’t have the Scotland we want on the 19th. We won’t have a Scotland that is any more equal than it is now. There will be a constitution [if there is a Yes vote], so that will be one of the things we struggle for. We will have to get out of Nato, we will have to change foreign policy and we will have to create a more equal Scotland."

How exactly they'll go about doing this remains to be seen. After spending some time with the group, it became apparent that their principles aren't quite as radical as I'd first expected – they're not proposing the rebuilding of Hadrian's Wall; they basically want what every other Yes campaigner wants, just without so much involvement from Salmond and his SNP. Their determination and enthusiasm is admirable, and it's hard not to feel some affinity for what is essentially a group of people who want to make Scotland a better place.

The RIC is currently united by a common goal, but the irony is that by achieving that goal – an independent Scotland – the group itself may end up suffering. If their wish is granted, then tensions and splits over ideologies could arise, as there's no central command structure dictating what they do next, or what exactly it is they're working towards in terms of constitutional reform.

The RIC is not a political party, which is why none of that structure exists. And while this is currently a strength – attracting supporters who felt uncomfortable backing Salmond – I can't help feeling that after the referendum, independence or not, it may become their weakness.

@HopeWhitmore

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