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From the top of a hill
on the Isle of Bute,
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in the early 7 .9205,
Scots would have seen an incredible sight,
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00:00:28,721 --> 00:00:34,441
and a clue to the great hidden catastrophe
of 20th-century Scotland.
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Down there, the Firth of Clyde
would have been full of ships
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coming and going across the world.
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Made from Scottish steel,
powered by Scottish coal,
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these ships were
the backbone of Scottish life.
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What was so wrong with all of that?
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The cargo.
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That cargo was the most precious thing
Scotland could produce,
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its own people,
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tens of thousands of them
abandoning their homeland
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for the promise of
a better life across the sea.
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Scotland was bleeding,
the lifeblood of the nation draining away.
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And as the ambitious, the talented,
the optimistic and the restless departed,
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some of those left behind
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began to ask what could be done
to stop the human haemorrhage,
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to save this failing nation.
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Over 200 years earlier,
Scotland had surrendered her sovereignty
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to become a partner in Great Britain.
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And through that union,
and the Empire that followed,
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Scots had earned rich rewards.
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But with Scotland in crisis,
was it time to renegotiate that union?
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Was it time for Scotland
to take back control of her own affairs?
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The Scotland
that entered the 20th century
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00:03:07,921 --> 00:03:11,481
boasted one of
the strongest economies in all of Europe -
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strength that was rooted
almost entirely in heavy industry.
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The 20th century was forged here,
in the ironworks of Lanarkshire.
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These hand-stoked furnaces
turned iron ore into
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some of the hardest, strongest
metals the world had yet seen,
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and transformed central Scotland
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into the workshop
of the British Empire
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when the British Empire
covered a quarter of the globe.
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Girders, boilers, bridges, ships.
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Scottish engineering became
a guarantee of precision and quality,
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renowned across the world,
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and Scotland's industrialists grew
outrageously rich on the rewards.
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Their success was fuelled
by the iron ore and coal
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locked inside the earth
of central Scotland,
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around towns like Motherwell.
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One family firm of metal-makers,
the Colvilles,
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Started smelting iron here in the 18705.
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They were just one of many small
independent ironworks in the town,
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but they were the most innovative.
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And they quickly developed
the technological know-how
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to make the new metal
that everyone wanted, steel,
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something which would transform
their fortunes
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and allow them to take their place
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among Scotland's
other magnates of global industry.
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The Colvilles were
the sort of bosses
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who kept wages low but gave workers
time off on Sundays to go to church.
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They were big on God, big on politics,
and, of course, big on profit.
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Archibald and David Colville,
the second generation of the family,
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were in charge of the firm
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as Britain and Germany
prepared for war,
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and demand for their Motherwell steel
was sent rocketing.
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The First World War was an opportunity
for many Scottish industries,
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and Colville's was no different.
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This plant
was flung into the war effort,
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churning out orders for armour,
for shell casings and for tanks.
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As the war progressed,
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Colville's expanded to become
the biggest steelworks in Scotland.
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By 1917, this was the kind of
munitions factory that the King visited.
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(BRASS BAND PLAYS)
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In the post-war years,
the firm kept expanding.
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As the firm grew and grew,
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the whole town came to identify itself
with steel, with Colville's in particular.
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The workers formed bands,
sports clubs, educational institutes
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and created
a community out of an industry.
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Across central Scotland,
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similar communities rose up
around coal seams,
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iron foundries and steelworks.
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Heavy industry
wove central Scotland together.
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(TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS)
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But there was a catch -
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a particularly Scottish catch...
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...brought home
every week on wages day,
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the day when Scotland's skilled workers
received much less money
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than their counterparts in England
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00:06:43,321 --> 00:06:45,241
for doing exactly the same job.
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It made Scottish industry competitive,
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but it consigned many
Scottish families to live in squalor
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without running water
or basic sanitation.
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Overcrowding was six times
higher than in England,
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and infant mortality was among
the very worst in Western Europe.
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This was the contract -
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the unspoken agreement that bound
industrial Scotland together.
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Acceptance of it
was the secret ingredient
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locked inside every ton of coal,
every ingot of iron
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and every penny of profit.
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But still the workers came,
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drawn to the furnaces
like moths to the flame,
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sucked in to the workshop
of the Empire,
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until by 1921, across central Scotland,
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00:07:34,681 --> 00:07:38,401
around 500,000 livelihoods depended
on the health of heavy industry,
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00:07:38,481 --> 00:07:41,881
on steelworks
and coal mines and shipbuilding,
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on an incredible boom
that couldn't last for ever.
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Scotland had become a house of cards.
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when the collapse came, it came fast.
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In peacetime,
no-one needed shell casings or tanks.
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No-one needed new ships.
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So the workshop of the Empire
grew quiet.
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Industrial Scotland
was plunged into crisis.
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The fortunate ones
merely had their wages slashed.
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The unfortunate ones lost everything.
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Around the steel town
of Motherwell alone,
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unemployment increased
from under 2,000 to over 12,000.
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Motherwell became one
of the worst-hit places in Scotland.
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The unemployed - the able-bodied
destitute poor, as they were known -
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flooded into the parish councils
of Lanarkshire looking for poor relief.
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And here, in Airbles Cemetery
in Motherwell,
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they found the best that
industrial Scotland had to offer -
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one week in three, earning
11 pence a clay, burying the dead.
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00:09:08,041 --> 00:09:11,841
Those that wanted something better
than poor relief or the dole
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00:09:11,921 --> 00:09:14,441
started to leave
their stricken communities,
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to emigrate from central Scotland
like they'd never emigrated before.
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In 1921 alone,
Scotland lost 50,000 people -
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a greater proportion that year
than almost any other country in Europe.
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This wasn't a clearance.
But it was an exodus.
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Scots left in droves,
on one-way tickets to the New World.
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00:09:53,761 --> 00:09:57,721
And as ship after ship sailed out of
the Clyde, away past Canada Hill,
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more and more Scots began to ask
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just why their country
was in such a mess.
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What they wanted was a new world
right here in Scotland itself.
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Scots weren't alone in seeking
a new world, a new beginning.
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just a few years earlier,
Russia had had its communist revolution.
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And in the Balkans,
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a host of brand-new nations
had emerged from the ashes
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of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
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Much closer to home, Ireland was
in the grip of assertive nationalism
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to free itself from Britain's grip.
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was it time for Scotland to take
control of her own future, too?
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Was it time for home rule?
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Home rule was hardly a new idea.
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00:11:03,721 --> 00:11:06,721
Earlier British governments
had flirted with the notion,
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00:11:06,801 --> 00:11:10,401
seeing it as a way to strengthen
the Empire rather than weaken it.
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But with Scotland in crisis,
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calls for a new kind of home rule
began to grow louder.
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The most radical Scots called
for complete independence -
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00:11:23,441 --> 00:11:26,961
for national liberation,
as they saw it.
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00:11:29,881 --> 00:11:34,921
And in 1922, one of
the strongest supporters of that idea
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00:11:35,001 --> 00:11:39,681
was to be found tucked away
in the quiet seaside town of Montrose.
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Christopher Murray Grieve was a journalist
who lived here in Montrose.
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His pen name was Hugh MacDiarmid.
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And his house
was just along this street.
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ANNOUNCER ON ARCHIVE:
He made his home at 76 Links A venue.
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And in 1922 the first number
of a literary magazine
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00:12:01,801 --> 00:12:03,601
was issued from that address.
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00:12:03,681 --> 00:12:06,641
It was the beginning
of a Scottish literary revival.
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And there was a new name
among the contributors.
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NEIL OLIVER: To MacDiarmid,
Scotland's journey to independence
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had to start with poetry.
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He thought that Scotland
had lost itself,
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been swamped
by its bigger neighbour - by England.
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And he wanted to kick-start
Scottish culture,
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to create something
modern and vital
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by drawing on something old and pure...
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...the language of the medieval poets,
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00:12:42,361 --> 00:12:46,801
poets who wrote before the influence
of England and English,
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who expressed their ideas
and their emotions
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00:12:49,921 --> 00:12:52,241
in their own distinctive way.
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In 1922, MacDiarmid launched his
own magazine, the Scottish Chapbook,
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00:13:00,081 --> 00:13:04,881
publishing modern poems
written in a kind of ancient Scots -
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a language that turned rainbows
back into "watergaws.
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"Ae weet forenicht
I' the yow-trummle
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"I saw yon antrin thing
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"A watergaw wi its chitterin licht
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"Ayont the onding
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00:13:26,121 --> 00:13:28,841
"An I thocht 0' the last wild leuk
ye gied
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"Afore ye deed
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"There was nae reek I'
the laverock's hoose that nicht
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"And nane I' mine
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"But I hae thocht 0' that
foolish licht
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"Even sin syne
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"An I think that mebbe at last I ken
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"What yer leuk meant then."
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00:13:54,241 --> 00:13:57,921
NEIL OLIVER: MacDiarmid's poems
seemed at once ancient and modern
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00:13:58,001 --> 00:13:59,801
and were rapturously received.
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00:14:01,361 --> 00:14:03,081
MacDiarmid's voice,
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00:14:03,161 --> 00:14:06,881
and his agenda, reached
the ears of other writers and poets
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00:14:06,961 --> 00:14:10,161
and ignited
the whole Scottish literary scene.
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His house became a meeting place
for all those drawn into his circle.
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00:14:14,361 --> 00:14:18,001
Here, great writers like Lewis
Grassic Gibbon and Compton Mackenzie
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00:14:18,081 --> 00:14:20,641
congregated to talk about Scotland.
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00:14:22,641 --> 00:14:25,121
They didn't all share
MacDiarmid's conviction
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00:14:25,201 --> 00:14:26,921
that Scotland needed to be liberated
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00:14:27,001 --> 00:14:28,521
from English influence,
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00:14:28,601 --> 00:14:31,321
and they didn't all write in Scots,
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00:14:31,401 --> 00:14:32,721
but they did agree
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00:14:32,801 --> 00:14:37,121
that Scottish culture desperately
needed to be revived.
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00:14:37,201 --> 00:14:41,161
Hugh MacDiarmid
had got Scotland going.
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00:14:41,241 --> 00:14:45,481
He had succeeded in opening a door
into the world of modern ideas
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00:14:45,561 --> 00:14:47,121
and started a movement,
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00:14:47,201 --> 00:14:51,641
a movement that became known
as a Scottish Renaissance.
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00:14:56,001 --> 00:14:59,201
Soon, the newspapers and
the magazines were full of articles,
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00:14:59,281 --> 00:15:03,001
letters and reviews, all of them
discussing the national condition
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00:15:03,121 --> 00:15:07,601
and asking just what it was that was wrong
with this small, failing nation
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00:15:07,681 --> 00:15:11,521
and what could be done
to make it better.
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00:15:14,281 --> 00:15:18,641
With Scottish culture invigorated,
MacDiarmid wanted to go further.
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00:15:18,721 --> 00:15:21,361
He was already involved
in local politics,
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00:15:21,441 --> 00:15:25,161
as a socialist councillor
with nationalist sympathies.
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00:15:25,281 --> 00:15:30,441
But in 1923, he took up the latest
political movement sweeping Europe...
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00:15:32,921 --> 00:15:35,001
...Fascism.
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00:15:41,641 --> 00:15:44,561
(SPEAKS IN ITALIAN)
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00:15:49,321 --> 00:15:53,561
NEIL OLIVER: Not long after Mussolini
marched on Rome to seize power in Italy,
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00:15:53,641 --> 00:15:57,721
MacDiarmid published an article
inciting Scottish fascism.
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00:15:57,801 --> 00:15:59,881
He even urged unemployed ex-servicemen
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00:15:59,961 --> 00:16:02,921
to march on the Highlands and Islands
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00:16:03,001 --> 00:16:05,281
and reclaim the land for themselves.
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00:16:09,001 --> 00:16:11,681
MAN: "Is it not time
for a Scottish fascism
211
00:16:11,761 --> 00:16:14,241
"to oppose the anti-national forces
212
00:16:14,361 --> 00:16:19,161
"which are robbing Scotland
of the finest elements of its population
213
00:16:19,241 --> 00:16:22,801
"and at one and the same time
denying the Scottish people
214
00:16:22,881 --> 00:16:27,841
"access to millions of acres
of the finest scenery in Scotland
215
00:16:27,921 --> 00:16:31,201
"and setting the sport of
English plutocrats
216
00:16:31,281 --> 00:16:33,961
"before the vital needs of the country?
217
00:16:34,081 --> 00:16:39,721
"Is it not time to smash the laws
which sanction and ensure such things?
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00:16:39,801 --> 00:16:41,441
"Rights are not asked.
219
00:16:41,521 --> 00:16:45,521
"They are taken,
and Scotland is a sovereign country
220
00:16:45,601 --> 00:16:49,201
"entitled to resume her independence
at will!"
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00:16:55,801 --> 00:16:59,281
NEIL OLIVER: But MacDiarmid's
call to fascism went unheeded
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00:16:59,361 --> 00:17:02,481
among those
who might have joined an uprising.
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00:17:09,241 --> 00:17:12,241
Instead, the unemployed and
low-paid workers of the industrial belt
224
00:17:12,321 --> 00:17:16,241
listened to the promises of Scotland's
growing socialist movement
225
00:17:16,321 --> 00:17:18,521
whose activists and Labour MPs
226
00:17:18,641 --> 00:17:21,801
encouraged them
to believe in the kind of improvements
227
00:17:21,881 --> 00:17:25,081
that a socialist government
in charge of Britain would deliver.
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00:17:26,801 --> 00:17:29,961
If Scotland's socialists
also supported home rule,
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00:17:30,041 --> 00:17:31,201
and many of them did,
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00:17:31,281 --> 00:17:35,321
it was never as much of a priority
for them as housing or sanitation,
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00:17:35,401 --> 00:17:41,081
or the issue that would finally
force Britain into confrontation...
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00:17:42,121 --> 00:17:44,401
...wages.
233
00:17:45,441 --> 00:17:49,401
In 1926, when coalminers
were facing a wage cut,
234
00:17:49,481 --> 00:17:54,121
Britain's unions joined together
and called a general strike.
235
00:17:58,281 --> 00:18:00,401
The Government placed
troops on standby
236
00:18:00,481 --> 00:18:03,961
and called for volunteers
to keep essential services running.
237
00:18:04,041 --> 00:18:05,401
Thousands volunteered,
238
00:18:05,481 --> 00:18:08,281
terrified that the Bolsheviks,
as they saw them,
239
00:18:08,361 --> 00:18:10,401
might take over Britain.
240
00:18:12,881 --> 00:18:18,121
After just a few days, the strike
in Scotland lost its momentum.
241
00:18:18,201 --> 00:18:21,681
Some miners held out
for several months,
242
00:18:21,761 --> 00:18:25,681
but eventually they all returned,
defeated, to work.
243
00:18:29,921 --> 00:18:32,201
For many workers of the industrial belt,
244
00:18:32,281 --> 00:18:34,601
the future would be just like the past,
245
00:18:34,681 --> 00:18:39,121
where they had to know their place,
not their worth.
246
00:18:46,561 --> 00:18:52,481
And those industrialists who ran Scotland
were only too happy to oblige.
247
00:19:07,761 --> 00:19:10,801
Most of the men
who owned Scotland's factories
248
00:19:10,881 --> 00:19:13,521
resisted the influence of trade unions.
249
00:19:13,601 --> 00:19:16,441
And if they looked out
for their employees,
250
00:19:16,521 --> 00:19:19,681
it was largely
through good Christian charity.
251
00:19:19,761 --> 00:19:23,241
John Colville, one
of the third generation of the family,
252
00:19:23,321 --> 00:19:26,201
donated a golf course
to his grateful workers
253
00:19:26,281 --> 00:19:30,081
to thank them for making his firm
a fortune during the last war.
254
00:19:32,161 --> 00:19:34,481
On the board of his family's steel firm,
255
00:19:34,601 --> 00:19:38,681
he sat alongside some of the supreme
magnates of Scotland's industry,
256
00:19:38,761 --> 00:19:40,041
men who, between them,
257
00:19:40,121 --> 00:19:42,761
sat on the board
of over 50 leading companies,
258
00:19:42,841 --> 00:19:45,881
and who effectively controlled
the Scottish economy.
259
00:19:49,321 --> 00:19:52,441
Their grip extended deep into politics.
260
00:19:52,521 --> 00:19:55,721
John Colville would himself become an MP,
261
00:19:55,801 --> 00:19:59,321
and later,
Secretary of State for Scotland.
262
00:20:01,001 --> 00:20:04,801
They were symptomatic of a country
that was locked in the past.
263
00:20:07,041 --> 00:20:11,761
And those Scots who wanted
a better life had to seek it abroad.
264
00:20:11,841 --> 00:20:14,721
50,000 left in 1926.
265
00:20:16,401 --> 00:20:20,041
And yet another 50,000 in 1927.
266
00:20:27,441 --> 00:20:31,121
To nationalists like Hugh MacDiarmid,
the scale of emigration
267
00:20:31,201 --> 00:20:33,961
was a sure sign
that Scotland was in crisis.
268
00:20:38,841 --> 00:20:42,281
MacDiarmid no longer called
for fascist uprisings.
269
00:20:42,361 --> 00:20:46,441
Instead, he concentrated
his efforts on the ballot box.
270
00:20:48,481 --> 00:20:53,281
In 1928, he joined up
with a small handful of fellow travellers
271
00:20:53,361 --> 00:20:58,561
to form a new political party,
the National Party of Scotland.
272
00:21:00,761 --> 00:21:04,761
MacDiarmid set out the party's aims
in a letter held at Edinburgh University.
273
00:21:07,321 --> 00:21:08,401
Here on page two
274
00:21:08,441 --> 00:21:12,601
you see what it was
that prompted MacDiarmid to write this.
275
00:21:12,681 --> 00:21:15,681
In one word, emigration.
See here...
276
00:21:15,761 --> 00:21:19,441
"A very large part of the Scottish
expenditure on education has gone
277
00:21:19,521 --> 00:21:21,681
"not to build up
the national prosperity,
278
00:21:21,761 --> 00:21:24,721
"but to export Scotsmen
to America and elsewhere
279
00:21:24,841 --> 00:21:29,881
"to undertake precisely the kind of work
they ought to have been doing at home."
280
00:21:29,961 --> 00:21:34,761
In other words, MacDiarmid wanted
all the opportunities of the New World
281
00:21:34,841 --> 00:21:36,361
here in Scotland itself
282
00:21:36,441 --> 00:21:40,361
and he believed that the only way
to do that was through independence.
283
00:21:40,481 --> 00:21:45,041
This wasn't the first time
a Scottish parliament had been called for.
284
00:21:45,161 --> 00:21:49,681
Over the years many of the established
political parties had backed home rule,
285
00:21:49,761 --> 00:21:51,601
but as MacDiarmid says here,
286
00:21:51,681 --> 00:21:54,441
Bill after Bill had been defeated
287
00:21:54,521 --> 00:21:57,121
by the sheer number of English MPs
at Westminster.
288
00:21:57,201 --> 00:22:01,241
Now Scots who wanted home rule
would have a new option -
289
00:22:01,321 --> 00:22:05,921
a political party whose sole objective
was independence.
290
00:22:07,841 --> 00:22:10,561
MacDiarmid expected the National Party
291
00:22:10,641 --> 00:22:13,841
to attract big support
at the election of 1929,
292
00:22:13,921 --> 00:22:17,161
but they secured just 3,000 votes...
293
00:22:18,401 --> 00:22:21,721
...an unconvincing start
for a liberation movement.
294
00:22:24,321 --> 00:22:29,161
Instead, Scots voted for
the devil they knew, for socialism,
295
00:22:29,241 --> 00:22:34,841
for Union and for men of the old
industrial order like John Colville.
296
00:22:36,081 --> 00:22:41,481
But just a few months after the election,
their world was shaken to its core.
297
00:22:41,561 --> 00:22:45,641
The financial markets crashed,
the Great Depression took hold,
298
00:22:45,761 --> 00:22:51,001
and the economic crises of the previous
decade were dreadfully outdone.
299
00:23:02,321 --> 00:23:07,161
MAN: "Now the ice lays its smooth claws
on the sill,
300
00:23:07,241 --> 00:23:09,401
"The sun looks from the hill
301
00:23:09,481 --> 00:23:11,881
"Helmed in his winter casket
302
00:23:11,961 --> 00:23:15,681
"And sweeps
his arctic sword across the sky.
303
00:23:15,761 --> 00:23:20,041
"The water at the mill
Sounds more hoarse and dull.
304
00:23:20,121 --> 00:23:22,481
"The miller's daughter walking by
305
00:23:22,561 --> 00:23:25,481
"With frozen fingers
soldered to her basket
306
00:23:25,561 --> 00:23:27,041
"Seems to be knocking
307
00:23:27,121 --> 00:23:29,721
"Upon a hundred leagues of floor
308
00:23:29,801 --> 00:23:34,601
"With her light heels,
and mocking Percy and Douglas dead
309
00:23:34,681 --> 00:23:37,161
"And Bruce on his burial bed."
310
00:23:39,921 --> 00:23:42,201
NEIL OLIVER: To Edwin Muir;
311
00:23:42,281 --> 00:23:45,241
one of the leading writers
of the Scottish Renaissance,
312
00:23:45,321 --> 00:23:48,481
it was as though Scotland was stuck
in a perpetual winter.
313
00:23:50,161 --> 00:23:54,361
Unlike MacDiarmid, he wasn't
a nationalist first and foremost,
314
00:23:54,441 --> 00:23:59,601
but a socialist, a political position
that he developed as a youth.
315
00:23:59,681 --> 00:24:02,801
Edwin Muir came originally from Orkney,
316
00:24:02,921 --> 00:24:06,681
and arrived in the centre
of industrialised Glasgow aged just 14,
317
00:24:06,761 --> 00:24:07,801
something that he said
318
00:24:07,881 --> 00:24:12,081
was like leaving the 18th century
and leaping straight into the 20th.
319
00:24:21,881 --> 00:24:26,681
Muir developed a dark fascination for
the industrial world he saw around him.
320
00:24:28,401 --> 00:24:32,041
And in 1934 he decided
to go on a journey round Scotland
321
00:24:32,121 --> 00:24:33,761
to see for himself
322
00:24:33,841 --> 00:24:37,401
what had become of the country
at the hands of those who ruled it.
323
00:24:40,881 --> 00:24:42,721
Here in Lanarkshire,
324
00:24:42,801 --> 00:24:47,481
Edwin Muir found a world made up
of exploiters and exploited,
325
00:24:47,561 --> 00:24:50,601
a landscape
utterly devoid of humanity.
326
00:24:50,721 --> 00:24:54,281
Among the unemployed hanging around
the labour exchanges,
327
00:24:54,361 --> 00:24:55,521
he found only despair.
328
00:24:55,601 --> 00:24:58,241
The civilised world
had forgotten about them,
329
00:24:58,321 --> 00:25:00,641
had forgotten
this whole part of Scotland.
330
00:25:00,721 --> 00:25:03,521
As a socialist, Muir was appalled.
331
00:25:07,321 --> 00:25:11,841
Muir compared it to the most painful
episode of Scotland's history.
332
00:25:15,041 --> 00:25:19,321
MAN: "A century ago there was
a great clearance from the Highlands
333
00:25:19,401 --> 00:25:22,481
"which still rouses the anger
of the people living there.
334
00:25:22,561 --> 00:25:24,761
"At present, on a far bigger scale,
335
00:25:24,841 --> 00:25:28,801
"a silent clearance is going on
in industrial Scotland,
336
00:25:28,881 --> 00:25:33,361
"a clearance not of human beings
but of what they depend upon for life.
337
00:25:33,441 --> 00:25:37,321
"Everything which could give meaning
to their existence
338
00:25:37,401 --> 00:25:41,041
"in the grotesque industrial towns
of Lanarkshire is slipping from them."
339
00:25:46,681 --> 00:25:50,521
NEIL OLIVER: The 20th century
was not even 35 years 010$
340
00:25:50,601 --> 00:25:54,281
yet almost as many Scottish children
had died in poverty
341
00:25:54,361 --> 00:25:58,361
as soldiers had been killed
during the entire First World War.
342
00:25:58,441 --> 00:26:04,521
And over 400,000 Scots had left
in the preceding 13 years alone.
343
00:26:06,001 --> 00:26:11,041
Old Scotland had failed
and something had to be done.
344
00:26:12,441 --> 00:26:14,401
To those like Edwin Muir,
345
00:26:14,481 --> 00:26:16,641
the solution was clear.
346
00:26:16,721 --> 00:26:21,001
Only the power of a socialist
government in Westminster
347
00:26:21,081 --> 00:26:24,281
could fix all Scotland's social problems.
348
00:26:24,361 --> 00:26:28,321
But MacDiarmid and his
fellow nationalists disagreed.
349
00:26:29,881 --> 00:26:35,401
Their revolution would see all Scotland's
problems fixed by its own parliament.
350
00:26:37,041 --> 00:26:39,601
But the nation's internal problems
351
00:26:39,681 --> 00:26:43,841
would be overshadowed
by concerns of graver consequence
352
00:26:43,921 --> 00:26:46,201
and the new Scotland
would have to wait.
353
00:26:46,281 --> 00:26:48,281
(AIR-RAID SIRENS WAIL)
354
00:27:06,321 --> 00:27:08,161
ON FILM: The kingdom of Fife.
355
00:27:18,761 --> 00:27:21,721
Glenrothes is one of the very few
Scottish towns
356
00:27:21,841 --> 00:27:26,761
without a memorial to the dead
either of the First or Second World War,
357
00:27:26,841 --> 00:27:30,361
because history didn't start here
until 1948.
358
00:27:33,121 --> 00:27:38,401
Glenrothes and the other Scottish
new towns were planned towns,
359
00:27:38,481 --> 00:27:41,881
emblems of a new world,
of an optimism born of victory.
360
00:27:43,441 --> 00:27:45,081
During the Second World War,
361
00:27:45,161 --> 00:27:48,601
Britain had pulled together
to defeat Hitler's fascism.
362
00:27:48,681 --> 00:27:51,441
The nation's efforts had been
directed from London,
363
00:27:51,521 --> 00:27:53,161
specifically from Whitehall.
364
00:27:54,481 --> 00:27:58,721
Now, the first government
after the Second World War
365
00:27:58,841 --> 00:28:03,321
wanted to use the power of that same
central planning to create a new Britain,
366
00:28:03,401 --> 00:28:08,441
a socialist Britain that would
eradicate five giant evils -
367
00:28:08,521 --> 00:28:15,041
squalor, ignorance, want,
idleness and disease.
368
00:28:16,441 --> 00:28:19,201
In Glenrothes,
their plans included a house
369
00:28:19,281 --> 00:28:23,761
and a job for life,
at the nearby Rothes "super pit".
370
00:28:23,841 --> 00:28:27,521
And miners came in their thousands
from the central belt,
371
00:28:27,601 --> 00:28:31,321
drawn by the prospect
of new houses and hourly wages.
372
00:28:33,641 --> 00:28:37,881
From cradle to grave,
the state would provide,
373
00:28:37,961 --> 00:28:40,521
and Scotland embraced
this Great British future.
374
00:28:42,201 --> 00:28:44,921
A visionary scheme
to light up the Highlands
375
00:28:45,001 --> 00:28:48,441
through hydro-electric power
was set up in Argyllshire.
376
00:28:48,521 --> 00:28:51,761
At a stroke, 10,000 jobs were created,
377
00:28:51,841 --> 00:28:55,161
10,000 livelihoods were secured.
378
00:28:55,241 --> 00:29:00,041
A car factory was boldly founded
at Linwood, making Hillman Imps.
379
00:29:02,001 --> 00:29:07,281
In Motherwell, money was sunk into
more steel-making on a site at Colville's.
380
00:29:07,361 --> 00:29:09,281
Using all the latest technology,
381
00:29:09,361 --> 00:29:12,921
this place would roll steel
thinner than ever before.
382
00:29:14,161 --> 00:29:16,281
It was to be called Ravenscraig.
383
00:29:38,761 --> 00:29:43,241
The planners had projected
that some old industries would struggle,
384
00:29:43,321 --> 00:29:44,881
that some would even die.
385
00:29:44,961 --> 00:29:49,161
But these vast new projects
would mop up any unemployed -
386
00:29:49,241 --> 00:29:51,281
they would be the industrial lynchpins
387
00:29:51,361 --> 00:29:54,841
around which
the new Scotland would take shape.
388
00:29:54,921 --> 00:29:57,441
And through the next decade,
389
00:29:57,521 --> 00:30:00,641
through changes of government
and boom and bust,
390
00:30:00,721 --> 00:30:04,641
the British state grew,
and unemployment remained low.
391
00:30:05,961 --> 00:30:08,121
But by the early 79602
392
00:30:08,201 --> 00:30:11,761
it was clear
that Scotland wasn't going to plan.
393
00:30:14,201 --> 00:30:16,721
Scotland might have started
to look different,
394
00:30:16,801 --> 00:30:19,121
but for most Scots,
it didn't feel different -
395
00:30:19,241 --> 00:30:23,681
new industries, major building projects,
like this bridge, began to appear,
396
00:30:23,761 --> 00:30:25,441
but not quickly enough.
397
00:30:25,521 --> 00:30:28,881
And as the old industries
went into terminal decline,
398
00:30:28,961 --> 00:30:31,681
so the unemployment figures crept up.
399
00:30:33,561 --> 00:30:37,081
Remote control from Whitehall
wasn't working.
400
00:30:37,161 --> 00:30:39,601
It was as if the planners
were out of touch
401
00:30:39,681 --> 00:30:42,281
with the consequences
of their decisions.
402
00:30:42,361 --> 00:30:45,881
What Scotland needed was someone
who would shake up the planners,
403
00:30:45,961 --> 00:30:49,281
someone who could ensure
that Britain served Scotland better.
404
00:30:49,361 --> 00:30:54,001
In Harold Wilson's Labour Party,
there was just the man.
405
00:30:54,121 --> 00:30:58,521
WILLIE ROSS: The actual facts are stark...
they're grim for Scotland,
406
00:30:58,601 --> 00:31:01,841
and only Labour planning
will improve the position
407
00:31:01,921 --> 00:31:05,201
and give us the 40,000 jobs a year
that we really need.
408
00:31:05,281 --> 00:31:07,921
I n housing, it's a tragic story.
409
00:31:14,801 --> 00:31:17,761
"And I shall make you
fishers of men."
410
00:31:17,841 --> 00:31:20,561
Those were Christ's words
to Andrew and Peter,
411
00:31:20,641 --> 00:31:23,881
the first apostles,
when he returned from the wilderness
412
00:31:23,961 --> 00:31:26,561
and found them fishing
on the Sea of Galilee.
413
00:31:29,641 --> 00:31:31,961
It's meant as a rallying cry
414
00:31:32,041 --> 00:31:35,041
for those who work here
at St Andrew's House,
415
00:31:35,161 --> 00:31:40,201
the Government HQ in Scotland, to look out
for the welfare of their fellow men.
416
00:31:40,281 --> 00:31:43,441
In 1964, the new boss here
was Willie Ross,
417
00:31:43,521 --> 00:31:46,561
and he was determined
to do just that...
418
00:31:46,641 --> 00:31:49,481
in his own distinctive way.
419
00:31:49,601 --> 00:31:54,641
Willie Ross was the son of a train driver
whose political beliefs had been forged
420
00:31:54,721 --> 00:31:56,601
when he worked as a teacher
421
00:31:56,681 --> 00:32:01,601
in working-class communities in Glasgow
in the 19205 and 19305.
422
00:32:01,681 --> 00:32:02,721
During the war,
423
00:32:02,761 --> 00:32:08,041
he had served as Lord Mountbatten's
personal signals officer in the Far East.
424
00:32:08,121 --> 00:32:09,241
Once demobbed,
425
00:32:09,281 --> 00:32:14,201
he became a Labour MP
and had spent over a decade in opposition,
426
00:32:14,281 --> 00:32:16,041
learning how Britain worked.
427
00:32:18,081 --> 00:32:20,601
Willie Ross knew
that the fight for Scotland
428
00:32:20,681 --> 00:32:22,641
didn't just lie here in Edinburgh
429
00:32:22,721 --> 00:32:25,241
so he took it right to the heart
of the British Government.
430
00:32:25,321 --> 00:32:27,601
In Cabinet meetings,
he would bang on the table
431
00:32:27,681 --> 00:32:30,761
demanding more money for his patch,
more money for Scotland.
432
00:32:30,841 --> 00:32:35,321
Ross was a fearsome sight, and even
the Prime Minister was intimidated.
433
00:32:36,881 --> 00:32:40,441
Willie Ross decided to bring
the planning process closer to home,
434
00:32:40,521 --> 00:32:45,081
to St Andrew's House, and he quickly
set to work on a detailed master plan.
435
00:32:45,201 --> 00:32:51,321
The master plan for improving Scotland
was unveiled early in 1966.
436
00:32:51,401 --> 00:32:56,721
It was state planning socialist-style and
on a scale never before seen in Scotland.
437
00:32:56,801 --> 00:33:01,081
It was big on ambition
and obsessive about the details.
438
00:33:01,161 --> 00:33:04,561
Jobs, houses, roads, power supplies -
439
00:33:04,641 --> 00:33:06,401
nothing was overlooked.
440
00:33:06,481 --> 00:33:10,441
And if it succeeded,
Scotland would be transformed.
441
00:33:13,561 --> 00:33:17,761
It was to cost £2,000 million.
442
00:33:17,881 --> 00:33:21,961
But the ink was barely dry
on the master plan before disaster struck.
443
00:33:23,001 --> 00:33:25,721
In 1967, the pound was devalued,
444
00:33:25,801 --> 00:33:30,441
the British Treasury froze
all government spending,
445
00:33:30,561 --> 00:33:34,481
and the promises Willie Ross had made
to the electorate just a year earlier
446
00:33:34,561 --> 00:33:36,761
were, at a stroke, in tatters.
447
00:33:41,681 --> 00:33:46,401
The unemployment that he'd been
trying to alleviate went through the roof.
448
00:33:46,481 --> 00:33:50,201
And Scots left for Canada and Australia
449
00:33:50,281 --> 00:33:53,361
on £10 tickets to a brighter future.
450
00:34:58,281 --> 00:35:00,321
# Oh, flower of Scotland... #
451
00:35:00,401 --> 00:35:05,681
Away from the world of politics,
of failed plans and economic turmoil,
452
00:35:05,761 --> 00:35:08,481
Scotland had been quietly changing.
453
00:35:08,561 --> 00:35:11,641
Seeds sown in the Scottish
Renaissance of the 79205
454
00:35:11,721 --> 00:35:14,921
had finally taken root
in the popular imagination.
455
00:35:15,001 --> 00:35:17,321
And a new generation had woken up
456
00:35:17,401 --> 00:35:20,961
to Scotland's distinctive
culture and history.
457
00:35:23,401 --> 00:35:26,081
The site of Bannockburn,
the battle in 1314,
458
00:35:26,161 --> 00:35:29,561
where the Scots decisively defeated
an invading English army,
459
00:35:29,641 --> 00:35:33,041
was commemorated with
this state-of-the-art monument
460
00:35:33,121 --> 00:35:36,321
and a statue was raised
to the victorious Robert the Bruce.
461
00:35:36,401 --> 00:35:41,201
# ..And in the past
They must remain... #
462
00:35:41,321 --> 00:35:45,201
Bruce's exploits were further celebrated
in a new song -
463
00:35:45,281 --> 00:35:50,001
Flower Of Scotland - that urged Scots
to rise now and be a nation again.
464
00:35:50,081 --> 00:35:55,441
# ..And be the nation again
That stood against... #
465
00:35:55,521 --> 00:35:58,441
The mythology of Scotland
as a once-victorious nation
466
00:35:58,521 --> 00:36:00,401
struck a chord with those Scots
467
00:36:00,481 --> 00:36:03,921
who felt that Scotland had been
reduced to Scotland-shire,
468
00:36:04,001 --> 00:36:06,281
a sort of badly run province of Britain.
469
00:36:06,361 --> 00:36:09,441
All of this powerful nationalist sentiment
470
00:36:09,521 --> 00:36:13,361
couldn't help but spill over
into Scottish politics.
471
00:36:14,441 --> 00:36:17,361
- Winifred Margaret Ewing...
- Scottish Nationalist.
472
00:36:17,441 --> 00:36:20,281
- ...18,397.
- (CHEERING)
473
00:36:22,121 --> 00:36:24,921
And so the Scottish Nationalists
have taken Hamilton.
474
00:36:26,481 --> 00:36:31,721
And I declare Winifred Margaret Ewing has
been duly elected to serve in Parliament
475
00:36:31,801 --> 00:36:34,441
as the Member
for the Hamilton constituency.
476
00:36:34,521 --> 00:36:35,841
(APPLAUSE)
477
00:36:35,881 --> 00:36:42,121
In November 1967, the Scottish National
Party won a by-election in Hamilton.
478
00:36:42,241 --> 00:36:46,601
The party that had spent three decades
losing deposits up and down the country
479
00:36:46,681 --> 00:36:49,761
suddenly seemed to be
in tune with the times.
480
00:36:51,641 --> 00:36:55,841
I have to say a thanks to Hamilton
for making history for Scotland...
481
00:36:55,921 --> 00:36:58,521
(CHEERING)
482
00:36:58,601 --> 00:37:02,681
The major political parties
hoped it was a blip...
483
00:37:02,761 --> 00:37:04,721
but it wasn't.
484
00:37:04,801 --> 00:37:08,121
The SNP started to pick up votes
from new supporters,
485
00:37:08,201 --> 00:37:12,361
drawn from new battlegrounds
in Scottish politics.
486
00:37:16,521 --> 00:37:20,561
All along the River Clyde,
shipyards had turned out
487
00:37:20,641 --> 00:37:23,601
some of the most famous vessels
the world had ever seen.
488
00:37:23,681 --> 00:37:27,441
This wasn't just an industry -
it was a symbol of a nation's identity
489
00:37:27,521 --> 00:37:28,761
and it was in trouble.
490
00:37:28,841 --> 00:37:33,121
One by one, the shipyards
started to go to the wall.
491
00:37:39,441 --> 00:37:42,521
In 1971, one shipyard -
492
00:37:42,601 --> 00:37:44,081
Upper Clyde Shipyard -
493
00:37:44,161 --> 00:37:49,441
employed around 13,000 people
and was struggling with large debts.
494
00:37:49,521 --> 00:37:52,401
Its closure would devastate
the local area,
495
00:37:52,481 --> 00:37:57,201
yet the Westminster Government
was refusing to bail it out.
496
00:37:59,401 --> 00:38:01,521
The workers started a sit-in,
497
00:38:01,601 --> 00:38:05,401
and a campaign to keep
the shipyard open took off.
498
00:38:07,201 --> 00:38:10,041
Churches, councils, trade unions,
499
00:38:10,121 --> 00:38:14,201
tens of thousands of ordinary Scots
joined the protests.
500
00:38:15,681 --> 00:38:19,481
Eventually,
the shipyard was kept open.
501
00:38:19,561 --> 00:38:23,721
But more Scots than ever before
were coming to believe
502
00:38:23,801 --> 00:38:27,681
that Westminster was either completely
out of touch with Scottish affairs
503
00:38:27,761 --> 00:38:31,041
or, worse, simply didn't care.
504
00:38:36,281 --> 00:38:40,041
And all the time, the Scottish
National Party felt the benefit.
505
00:38:44,921 --> 00:38:49,561
Then, somewhere in the North Sea
off the coast of Scotland,
506
00:38:49,641 --> 00:38:52,401
the drill of an oil rig hit black gold
507
00:38:52,481 --> 00:38:56,241
and sent support
for Scottish independence rocketing.
508
00:39:02,681 --> 00:39:08,001
Oil changed Scottish politics overnight,
and there was lots of it.
509
00:39:08,121 --> 00:39:13,481
"Imagine what could happen," said the
Nationalists, "if Scotland kept it all."
510
00:39:17,081 --> 00:39:19,761
It was Scotland's oil, after all...
511
00:39:19,841 --> 00:39:21,401
wasn't it?
512
00:39:22,881 --> 00:39:24,681
To the SNP, it was,
513
00:39:24,761 --> 00:39:28,721
and they argued it should be used
to benefit Scotland.
514
00:39:30,161 --> 00:39:32,601
After two decades of
planning and spending,
515
00:39:32,681 --> 00:39:36,641
the five great social evils
had far from vanished.
516
00:39:36,721 --> 00:39:40,321
Scots still lived in some of
the poorest housing in Britain,
517
00:39:40,441 --> 00:39:46,321
had the worst health in the Western world,
had the smallest children in the UK.
518
00:39:46,401 --> 00:39:50,121
Oil, said the SNP, could eliminate
all of these ills
519
00:39:50,201 --> 00:39:53,681
in a way that
Westminster planning never had.
520
00:39:56,761 --> 00:39:59,881
The people of Scotland could have
the very best health care,
521
00:39:59,961 --> 00:40:01,921
housing, education.
522
00:40:02,001 --> 00:40:04,561
Scotland could finally catch up
with England,
523
00:40:04,641 --> 00:40:07,481
might even be a match
for anywhere in the world.
524
00:40:14,241 --> 00:40:19,521
By early 1974, almost a fifth
of Scots backed the SNP.
525
00:40:22,201 --> 00:40:25,601
Their picture of a wealthy, independent
Scotland was particularly seductive
526
00:40:25,681 --> 00:40:27,561
in a Britain that seemed locked
527
00:40:27,641 --> 00:40:31,081
in a downward spiral of inflation,
strikes and strife.
528
00:40:32,641 --> 00:40:34,881
In the general election
of February that year,
529
00:40:34,961 --> 00:40:37,201
the SNP turned their support
530
00:40:37,281 --> 00:40:40,881
into an all-time electoral high
of seven seats.
531
00:40:42,441 --> 00:40:45,281
Where would the SNP rise end?
532
00:40:46,761 --> 00:40:51,521
To the bigger parties, it was clear
that something had to be done.
533
00:40:52,961 --> 00:40:57,681
The answer seemed to be a kind
of home rule called devolution.
534
00:40:59,881 --> 00:41:04,801
It would see the powers that one man,
Willie Ross, enjoyed as Scottish Secretary
535
00:41:04,881 --> 00:41:08,281
placed under the control
of an elected assembly.
536
00:41:09,961 --> 00:41:14,881
The only problem was that many
of the Scottish Labour MPs didn't want it.
537
00:41:18,481 --> 00:41:21,841
They believed that the problems
of Scotland were more likely to be solved
538
00:41:21,961 --> 00:41:28,081
by a socialist government in Westminster
than by any assembly in Edinburgh.
539
00:41:28,161 --> 00:41:33,921
Chairman, I want to enter this debate
in terms of the context of devolution...
540
00:41:34,001 --> 00:41:35,881
All through the summer of 1974,
541
00:41:35,961 --> 00:41:40,601
the ruling Labour Party remained
bogged down in debate
542
00:41:40,681 --> 00:41:42,241
and divided on grounds of principle.
543
00:41:42,321 --> 00:41:44,161
In Scotland at the moment,
544
00:41:44,281 --> 00:41:49,801
there are a very large number of pressure
groups, led largely by the SNP...
545
00:41:49,881 --> 00:41:53,361
But the time for principles
was nearing an end.
546
00:41:53,441 --> 00:41:56,241
Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson
wanted to call
547
00:41:56,361 --> 00:41:59,721
another election
to strengthen his position in Westminster.
548
00:41:59,801 --> 00:42:04,601
To him it was simple - devolution
would be a vital vote-winner in Scotland.
549
00:42:06,361 --> 00:42:08,801
with another general election looming
550
00:42:08,881 --> 00:42:10,921
and the SNP still on the rise,
551
00:42:11,001 --> 00:42:13,921
the Labour Party
had to have a home-rule policy.
552
00:42:14,001 --> 00:42:16,001
So Harold Wilson forced it through
553
00:42:16,081 --> 00:42:19,401
against the wishes
of many Scots Labour MPs,
554
00:42:19,481 --> 00:42:21,681
who felt it was a betrayal of socialism
555
00:42:21,761 --> 00:42:25,241
and a policy guaranteed
to lead to the break-up of Britain.
556
00:42:25,321 --> 00:42:29,161
It was in this atmosphere
of division and self-interest
557
00:42:29,241 --> 00:42:32,561
that Scotland's first
home-rule referendum was born.
558
00:42:38,161 --> 00:42:41,281
Labour's promise of a referendum
on home rule
559
00:42:41,361 --> 00:42:43,721
didn't stave off the rise of the SNP.
560
00:42:43,841 --> 00:42:48,001
Nor did it unite the ruling Labour Party,
or even the public.
561
00:42:48,081 --> 00:42:50,641
You think you're going to vote "yes"
or would you vote "no"?
562
00:42:50,721 --> 00:42:52,601
- I haven't decided.
- OK.
563
00:42:52,681 --> 00:42:54,441
- I can't put that on you, then?
- Not yet.
564
00:42:54,521 --> 00:42:58,441
It took the politicians
four years to agree the scheme.
565
00:42:58,521 --> 00:43:00,321
And during those four years,
566
00:43:00,401 --> 00:43:03,841
it was transformed into
a referendum with a catch -
567
00:43:03,921 --> 00:43:09,361
a catch that said 40% of the entire
electorate would have to vote "yes"
568
00:43:09,441 --> 00:43:10,881
to win the day.
569
00:43:12,841 --> 00:43:16,521
What actually do we control
if we vote "yes"?
570
00:43:16,641 --> 00:43:20,601
Well, you'll control education, housing,
health, the environment, transport -
571
00:43:20,681 --> 00:43:24,801
a lot of the things that are run by
the Secretary of State at the moment.
572
00:43:26,361 --> 00:43:29,121
REPORTER: With an electorate
of nearly 3. 75 million,
573
00:43:29,201 --> 00:43:32,481
the Scottish Office has drafted in
an army of clerks
574
00:43:32,601 --> 00:43:36,361
to count the votes, and they'll be
in action from early tomorrow morning.
575
00:43:38,041 --> 00:43:42,961
NEIL OLIVER: On the 1st of March 1979,
Scotland went to the polls.
576
00:43:43,041 --> 00:43:47,601
MAN: I hereby declare
that, on the basis of the count results
577
00:43:47,681 --> 00:43:50,281
in the several counting areas,
578
00:43:50,361 --> 00:43:55,521
the count result which I intend
to certify for Scotland is as follows...
579
00:43:55,601 --> 00:43:58,361
Oh, look at this!
580
00:43:58,441 --> 00:44:01,161
This was all prepared for 1979.
581
00:44:06,201 --> 00:44:09,241
Edinburgh's Royal High School
was kitted out like a parliament
582
00:44:09,361 --> 00:44:14,481
in the expectation that Scots would vote
"yes" in the devolution referendum.
583
00:44:18,921 --> 00:44:26,481
MAN: Number of "yes" votes - 1,230,937.
584
00:44:29,041 --> 00:44:31,161
Number of "no" votes -
585
00:44:31,241 --> 00:44:36,161
1,153,502...
586
00:44:36,241 --> 00:44:38,441
Scotland had voted "yes.
587
00:44:38,521 --> 00:44:42,841
But the majority wasn't big enough
to win the referendum.
588
00:44:42,921 --> 00:44:45,401
If it was a test of the country's
determination,
589
00:44:45,481 --> 00:44:47,681
then it showed
a lack of national resolve.
590
00:44:47,761 --> 00:44:52,921
It also revealed a population divided
between Scottishness and Britishness.
591
00:44:56,401 --> 00:44:59,121
The plan for an assembly
in the Royal High School
592
00:44:59,201 --> 00:45:02,521
was Britain's solution
to its Scottish problem.
593
00:45:03,601 --> 00:45:08,561
To many Scots, it was just another
Westminster promise that didn't deliver,
594
00:45:08,641 --> 00:45:15,041
a half-hearted enterprise that failed
because of its half-heartedness.
595
00:45:15,121 --> 00:45:18,161
As the momentum
towards home rule petered out,
596
00:45:18,281 --> 00:45:24,281
a new era dawned, one that would
have a profound influence on Scotland.
597
00:45:27,201 --> 00:45:29,081
MAN: Good afternoon, Prime Minister!
598
00:45:29,161 --> 00:45:34,481
Margaret Thatcher
had a new vision for Britain,
599
00:45:34,601 --> 00:45:38,881
one inspired by the work of
an 18th-century Scot called Adam Smith...
600
00:45:40,601 --> 00:45:45,081
...the man who had given the world
the idea of free trade.
601
00:45:47,641 --> 00:45:51,761
Smith believed that markets
had to operate freely,
602
00:45:51,841 --> 00:45:55,361
according to
their own fundamental laws.
603
00:45:58,121 --> 00:46:01,561
And in Margaret Thatcher's
modern version of his idea,
604
00:46:01,641 --> 00:46:05,401
the free market had to be brought
to bear with greatest urgency
605
00:46:05,481 --> 00:46:07,921
on Britain's nationalised industries.
606
00:46:18,001 --> 00:46:22,521
To her, these vast, dilapidated
and inefficient concerns
607
00:46:22,601 --> 00:46:26,201
had been kept open by the state
for purely social reasons -
608
00:46:26,281 --> 00:46:29,001
to provide jobs
rather than make profit -
609
00:46:29,081 --> 00:46:31,601
something which couldn't go on.
610
00:46:34,041 --> 00:46:38,801
Shipbuilding had won a few battles,
but had lost its war.
611
00:46:40,441 --> 00:46:45,081
And in the early 1980s, that other
great pillar of Scottish industry,
612
00:46:45,161 --> 00:46:48,241
of Scottish life, came under threat...
613
00:46:54,041 --> 00:46:55,321
coal.
614
00:46:56,801 --> 00:47:01,441
Coal had been nationalised to free
the industry from the worst excesses
615
00:47:01,521 --> 00:47:04,121
of private ownership,
of exploitation.
616
00:47:04,201 --> 00:47:07,201
But many of the pits
had never been profitable
617
00:47:07,281 --> 00:47:10,081
and had been kept going
only by subsidies.
618
00:47:10,161 --> 00:47:15,761
Now, any pits that couldn't make money
were to be closed.
619
00:47:25,641 --> 00:47:30,361
MARGARET THATCH ER: Where there is
discord, may we bring harmony.
620
00:47:30,441 --> 00:47:33,641
Where there is error,
may we bring truth.
621
00:47:33,721 --> 00:47:35,721
Where there is doubt,
may we bring faith.
622
00:47:35,801 --> 00:47:39,361
And where there is despair,
may we bring hope.
623
00:47:53,321 --> 00:47:55,841
NEIL OLIVER: Can you describe
624
00:47:55,921 --> 00:47:58,321
when you became aware
that the industry was going downhill?
625
00:47:58,401 --> 00:48:01,961
Was there a day came
when you realised the game was up?
626
00:48:02,041 --> 00:48:04,401
I was sorry it was
ever coming to that.
627
00:48:04,481 --> 00:48:05,961
I knew it was coming, but I was sorry,
628
00:48:06,001 --> 00:48:09,401
because there would be a lot of people
with no jobs. That was that.
629
00:48:09,481 --> 00:48:12,921
It made so much sense,
why all these towns were here.
630
00:48:13,001 --> 00:48:16,001
They were either here to support
a pit or for the steel...
631
00:48:16,081 --> 00:48:17,241
That's how it was, aye.
632
00:48:17,321 --> 00:48:22,801
And now it's as if the tide's gone out
and left these places high and dry.
633
00:48:22,881 --> 00:48:24,521
There's nothing left.
634
00:48:28,841 --> 00:48:32,521
Allanton, Shotts, Cumnock,
635
00:48:32,601 --> 00:48:36,521
Bonnyrigg - the list of places
left behind as that tide went out
636
00:48:36,601 --> 00:48:40,241
stretches from one end
of central Scotland to the other.
637
00:48:44,241 --> 00:48:47,081
Those who had chosen to stay,
638
00:48:47,161 --> 00:48:50,841
those who had faced the future
here in Scotland rather than emigrate,
639
00:48:50,921 --> 00:48:56,961
were left adrift, as once and for all
their way of life was lost.
640
00:49:02,841 --> 00:49:04,681
In the early 79805
641
00:49:04,761 --> 00:49:09,001
unemployment returned to levels
unknown since the 19205.
642
00:49:12,841 --> 00:49:16,881
If this was Margaret Thatcher's
new vision of Britain,
643
00:49:16,961 --> 00:49:21,721
then it seemed to many Scots
to be a place without compassion.
644
00:49:24,961 --> 00:49:27,481
And Scots began to notice
645
00:49:27,561 --> 00:49:32,401
that only a small number of them
had voted for her and her party.
646
00:49:34,801 --> 00:49:38,761
When Margaret Thatcher and the
Conservatives won the election in 1987,
647
00:49:38,841 --> 00:49:41,761
it was their third victory in a row.
648
00:49:41,841 --> 00:49:46,121
And the third time that Scotland
voted overwhelmingly against her.
649
00:49:47,961 --> 00:49:53,721
Scotland was being ruled without
the consent of the majority of its people,
650
00:49:53,801 --> 00:49:57,801
and at this rate, its national interests
could be overlooked for ever.
651
00:50:02,481 --> 00:50:07,281
As this reality sank in,
home rule got a new lease of life.
652
00:50:11,401 --> 00:50:15,201
The idea of devolution had once
divided Scottish opinion.
653
00:50:15,281 --> 00:50:18,761
What was needed now
was a scheme that would unite.
654
00:50:21,521 --> 00:50:26,081
In 1988, many of the country's
political and civic leaders met
655
00:50:26,201 --> 00:50:30,961
to thrash out a plan that would restore
the Scottish people's right to decide
656
00:50:31,041 --> 00:50:32,801
their own form of government.
657
00:50:34,241 --> 00:50:38,561
A scheme based on the principle
of self-determination.
658
00:50:44,401 --> 00:50:45,841
And here it is -
659
00:50:45,921 --> 00:50:47,801
a Claim of Right for Scotland.
660
00:50:47,881 --> 00:50:52,201
"We, gathered as the Scottish
Constitutional Convention,
661
00:50:52,281 --> 00:50:54,481
"do hereby acknowledge and assert
662
00:50:54,561 --> 00:50:56,761
"the sovereign right
of the Scottish people
663
00:50:56,841 --> 00:51:00,801
"to determine the form of government
best suited to their needs.
664
00:51:00,881 --> 00:51:04,521
"We further declare and pledge
that our actions and deliberations
665
00:51:04,601 --> 00:51:06,841
"shall be directed to
the following end -
666
00:51:06,921 --> 00:51:11,481
"to agree a scheme for an assembly
or parliament for Scotland."
667
00:51:11,561 --> 00:51:15,241
And there, the second name -
Donald Dewar.
668
00:51:15,321 --> 00:51:20,321
And after his, name after name,
page after page.
669
00:51:23,561 --> 00:51:26,561
The Claim of Right was clear
and unequivocal.
670
00:51:26,641 --> 00:51:30,921
The crisis of the 20th century
had gone far beyond material things -
671
00:51:31,001 --> 00:51:33,481
beyond jobs, beyond housing.
672
00:51:33,561 --> 00:51:37,321
It threatened the very nature
of Scotland's existence.
673
00:51:37,401 --> 00:51:40,961
The people should no longer
be governed without consent,
674
00:51:41,041 --> 00:51:42,281
said the Claim of Right.
675
00:51:42,361 --> 00:51:46,241
Only a Scottish parliament could
safeguard Scotland's identity now.
676
00:51:53,481 --> 00:51:56,761
One opposition party, the SNP,
677
00:51:56,841 --> 00:51:58,441
didn't back the Claim of Right,
678
00:51:58,521 --> 00:52:00,201
but for almost 60 years,
679
00:52:00,321 --> 00:52:05,361
their calls for a parliament had echoed
across Scottish politics.
680
00:52:05,441 --> 00:52:08,481
With support for out-and-out
independence increasing
681
00:52:08,601 --> 00:52:12,641
and Scotland's other opposition parties
now committed to a parliament as well,
682
00:52:12,721 --> 00:52:15,041
Scotland grew restless.
683
00:52:17,001 --> 00:52:21,721
Among the people, a sense of nationhood
grew and was heard.
684
00:52:21,801 --> 00:52:26,001
At Murrayfield, in 1990,
Scots embraced
685
00:52:26,081 --> 00:52:30,441
their own unofficial national anthem
for a rugby match against England.
686
00:52:30,521 --> 00:52:32,881
What song did they choose?
687
00:52:33,961 --> 00:52:36,961
60,000 Scots got behind their country
688
00:52:37,041 --> 00:52:41,201
and belted out the sentimental
'60s folk song, Flower Of Scotland
689
00:52:41,281 --> 00:52:43,801
and inspired Scotland
to a famous victory
690
00:52:43,881 --> 00:52:46,401
over their oldest adversaries.
691
00:52:46,481 --> 00:52:49,321
- (# BAGPIPES: Flower Of Scotland)
- (CROWD SINGS)
692
00:52:49,401 --> 00:52:54,561
# Oh, flower of Scotland
when will we see
693
00:52:54,641 --> 00:52:58,601
# Your like again?
694
00:52:58,681 --> 00:53:02,841
# That fought and died for
695
00:53:02,921 --> 00:53:07,921
# Your wee bit hill and glen
696
00:53:08,001 --> 00:53:11,041
# And stood against him
697
00:53:11,121 --> 00:53:15,361
# Proud Edward's army... #
698
00:53:15,441 --> 00:53:20,721
And the English team went right on
singing God Save The Queen,
699
00:53:20,801 --> 00:53:23,961
as if England and Britain
were one and the same thing.
700
00:53:24,041 --> 00:53:28,921
# ..Long live our noble Queen... #
701
00:53:29,001 --> 00:53:30,801
It was just sport.
702
00:53:30,881 --> 00:53:33,721
But it told its own story.
703
00:53:35,241 --> 00:53:38,921
People who had begun the century
as loyal subjects of Britain
704
00:53:39,001 --> 00:53:40,881
had changed their allegiances
705
00:53:40,961 --> 00:53:45,041
and they no longer unquestioningly
accepted that to be Scottish was,
706
00:53:45,121 --> 00:53:47,601
first and foremost, to be British.
707
00:54:12,041 --> 00:54:14,241
But Britain had changed too.
708
00:54:15,881 --> 00:54:20,241
The version of Britain that Scots had
understood and supported was gone
709
00:54:20,321 --> 00:54:24,681
and it had been replaced
with something very different,
710
00:54:24,761 --> 00:54:28,281
something that Scots didn't recognise
as their own creation.
711
00:54:46,721 --> 00:54:51,521
Ravenscraig Steelworks had been
the jewel of post-war planning,
712
00:54:51,601 --> 00:54:53,401
one of the foundations on which
713
00:54:53,481 --> 00:54:56,441
20th-century Scotland
was supposed to be built.
714
00:54:58,201 --> 00:55:01,321
By the time it came down in 1996,
715
00:55:01,401 --> 00:55:04,561
Scots the length and breadth
of the country were united
716
00:55:04,641 --> 00:55:07,801
in an urgent mission
to take back political control.
717
00:55:11,601 --> 00:55:14,241
The nation had a settled will.
718
00:55:33,601 --> 00:55:37,361
The birch trees are reclaiming
the site of Ravenscraig.
719
00:55:37,441 --> 00:55:42,641
The furnaces, coke piles, iron stores
and cooling towers are long gone,
720
00:55:42,721 --> 00:55:47,161
and now any traces
of one version of the old Scotland
721
00:55:47,241 --> 00:55:50,321
are giving way to a much older one.
722
00:55:50,401 --> 00:55:55,521
The heavy industries of the 19th
and 20th centuries have all but vanished.
723
00:55:55,601 --> 00:55:57,561
And Scotland, the land,
724
00:55:57,641 --> 00:55:59,441
is taking the place back.
725
00:55:59,521 --> 00:56:00,721
But what lingers
726
00:56:00,801 --> 00:56:05,721
is a sense that something has gone
that has not yet been replaced.
727
00:56:10,921 --> 00:56:14,041
There once was a settled will.
728
00:56:14,121 --> 00:56:18,561
In 1999, that settled will
was turned into a parliament -
729
00:56:18,641 --> 00:56:21,601
not an assembly, but a parliament.
730
00:56:24,921 --> 00:56:29,041
When hard economic times
forced Scots to question the Union,
731
00:56:29,121 --> 00:56:33,281
Scotland created a new relationship
with its old partner,
732
00:56:33,361 --> 00:56:38,081
and in doing so
helped to create a new kind of Britain.
733
00:56:39,641 --> 00:56:44,801
For most of the 20th century, Scotland's
story was the story of a failing nation,
734
00:56:44,881 --> 00:56:48,001
one that couldn't keep hold
of its population.
735
00:56:52,601 --> 00:56:57,241
In the first years of the 21st century,
Scotland's story changed.
736
00:56:57,321 --> 00:57:01,801
Scotland became a place
in which to stay rather than leave,
737
00:57:01,881 --> 00:57:05,881
a place to come to, rather than go from.
738
00:57:07,321 --> 00:57:12,201
So what of the future for the five million
people who live here today?
739
00:57:12,281 --> 00:57:15,401
As the 21st century stretches out ahead,
740
00:57:15,481 --> 00:57:19,761
what will fill the empty spaces,
what will fill this void
741
00:57:19,841 --> 00:57:22,241
where the nation's industrial heart
once beat?
742
00:57:25,561 --> 00:57:28,521
And what will become of us as a nation?
743
00:57:28,601 --> 00:57:32,081
Is it "Scottish"
that most defines us now,
744
00:57:32,161 --> 00:57:35,121
or does "British" still run deep too?
745
00:57:35,201 --> 00:57:39,121
Is Scotland's journey
to self-determination at an end
746
00:57:39,201 --> 00:57:39,121
or is there more to come
on the road ahead?