AS a young person, I rarely see myself represented in the media. Even less so as a young woman, and unquestionably rarely as a young socialist woman. As a socialist who supports a progressive independent future for Scotland, I know that I’m not alone – almost two-thirds of those aged 16-34 support an independent Scotland, and a number of polls have found that a majority of young people support socialism and socialist policies.
Ten years ago, the independence movement mobilised thousands of young people to engage in politics and use their voice to determine their future and the future of our nation. One legacy of the referendum was The National – still the only national daily paper to explicitly support an independent Scotland. Where the voices of young people, leftists and grassroots independence supporters are so rarely heard in the mainstream media of the UK, The National provides a platform to voices who otherwise wouldn’t be heard and to ideas that otherwise wouldn’t be shared.
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While much of the UK media landscape suck up to a toxic two-party Westminster system, The National refuses to do so. While other outlets complicitly cover up Israel's genocide in Palestine, The National refuses to do so. While other outlets deride refugees, asylum seekers and some of the most vulnerable people in our society, The National refuses to do so. And where in other outlets you’ll hear from the same tired voices who haven’t a clue what it means to be a young working class Scot in the 21st century, The National dares to be different.
As a columnist for The National, I can take pride in being one of multiple young women who writes for the paper. I can take pride in not being the only trans person to be a regular columnist for the paper. I can take comfort in knowing that other leftist thinkers and grassroots independence supporters are being given a space to write alongside me. And of course I can rightly be challenged by The National’s other writers who provide different perspectives to my own.
Daring to take a different approach isn’t always easy, and The National continues to face opposition from those who never wanted this paper to exist in the first place, let alone celebrate its 10th birthday. The independence movement undoubtedly faces significant challenges in the years ahead, so a paper which unapologetically supports an independent Scotland and gives a voice to those who’d otherwise go unheard has rarely been more important. To get a whole year of access to these voices and more for just £10 is a fantastic deal – there’s never been a better time to subscribe.
