THE party is over, and Scotland are out of the Euros. I’ll be honest and say I’m not particularly a football fan – despite a few friends attempting to explain it, I still have no idea what the “offside rule” is.
But I did tune in to the Scotland games on the TV during this year’s men’s European Championships in Germany, not least because the buzz in Scotland of our national team qualifying for the games was a nice moment of unity for our country, especially during a much less unifying General Election campaign period.
So, when I tuned into STV just under two weeks ago for the opening match against Germany, I was more than a bit surprised that the pre-match commentary and interviews seemed to have more of a focus not on the Scotland team which was actually playing the match, but rather Scotland’s biggest rivals: England.
The trend continued throughout the subsequent matches, with a feature interview with the manager of the England national team taking centre stage during half-time of the Scotland v Switzerland match on the BBC last Wednesday.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d be pretty surprised if there’s any other country where the national broadcaster would choose to focus more on that country’s biggest rivals during the coverage of a relatively historic and significant tournament for that country. The Scotland and England rivalry is perhaps the oldest and longest-lasting such ivalry in football history and with the added significance of this tournament having been Scotland’s first major international tournament outside the UK in decades, it seemed unfair for Scotland fans to have to share the limelight with our biggest rivals in matches they weren’t even playing.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think football rivalry is anywhere near the list of the most important issues facing Scotland right now, but I do think this issue of sporting coverage is indicative of a much wider problem where Scotland constantly has to play second fiddle to our neighbours south of the Border, and where the UK media’s lack of grasp or respect for Scotland and the issues affecting us does our country a disservice.
This disservice has been crystal clear during the coverage of the ongoing General Election. From televised debates where the SNP, as the party of government in Scotland and the third biggest party in Westminster, were excluded, to blatantly incorrect information about Scotland’s parties being shared by the BBC, the media have made quite clear to Scotland throughout this campaign that our votes and views are simply not as important to them.
As a proud member of the Scottish Greens, I’ve taken particular frustration with the coverage (or lack thereof) of my party, and in particular the lack of respect for my party’s autonomy and independence from our counterparts in England and Wales.
The Scottish Greens and the Green Party of England and Wales have been separate parties for more than 30 years, yet this still hasn’t got through to the London media.
When candidates were first announced for the upcoming election, the BBC used the Green Party of England and Wales logo next to candidates for the Scottish Greens in a number of seats. And when the Green Party of England and Wales launched their manifesto, analysis from the BBC confidently explained that their rent controls policy was based on their experience working on such policies as part of the Scottish Government.
This is obviously a bizarre claim as the Green Party of England and Wales have never been part of the Scottish Government, and it would be rather challenging for them to be given Scotland is not a country in which they stand.
It may well have been accurate to suggest that the English and Welsh Greens had taken inspiration or learnings from the Scottish Greens on this policy given the two parties do occasionally co-operate and work together, but the insinuation that the parties are one and the same is simply misinformation from our public broadcaster.
This may seem pedantic, but it really does matter.
While the two Green parties in Great Britain share a lot in common, we also have different policies on a number of key issues. Greens south of the Border take a different stance on hugely important issues such as Nato, the HS2 rail project and whether or not to accept peerages in the undemocratic House of Lords – and I know multiple Scottish Greens activists who have been challenged on the doors by concerned voters over policies which we don’t hold but our neighbours down south do.
I accept that both parties being Green parties and the large amount of commonality in our policy platforms will always lead to some organic confusion.
However, the media furthering the falsehood that we are the same party is misinformation plain and simple, and cannot be excused when a quick Google search before publishing would confirm that the two parties are indeed separate.
While the Tories, Labour and LibDems are quite happy for their Scottish branches to be subservient to London, it is a great strength that the Scottish Greens, the Green Party of England and Wales and the Green Party NI (who are part of the Irish Greens) are able to be autonomous from each other, while still co-operating where relevant.
Nonetheless, it’s always Scotland that is presumed to be subservient, while England is the assumed default. It’s always the Green Party of England and Wales logo slapped onto Scottish Greens candidates, not the other way around.
It’s always the Scotland team who have to sit and listen to analysis of the England team during matches England isn’t even playing in.
It’s always England that gets to decide on the UK government, regardless of how Scotland votes. The “union of equals” has never been true.
Whether it’s football, politics, or any other topic, Scotland shouldn’t have to keep playing second fiddle. Yet for as long as we’re part of this broken union, I have little hope that things will ever change.
With the democratic deficit embedding our inferiority into our very democracy, and the two ruling parties in Westminster both making clear that Scottish voices will only get to be part of the UK Government if we vote the same way as England, it’s clear that the only way for us to get the respect we deserve is through independence.
