FROM PRO UNION TO PRO INDEPENDENT: Former Moray Councillor Barry Jarvis explains to Around Moray why
Why? It’s one word, a single syllable and only 3 letters. But for me this one word was the beginning of a journey, one where I went from being a pretty staunch unionist in an unashamedly pro union party where I was an elected Councillor and committed activist to joining Scotland's largest party and being one of an ever growing number of individuals committed to rejecting the status quo of a failing UK political system.
So to start with prior to 2014 I hadn’t really given independence that much sensible thought, I hadn’t researched much of it, and frankly I had no intention of. I had bought into the party line that sure it was a nice idea but too much upheaval and far too risky and you know solidarity with our neighbours and all that. Long story short I felt the referendum was a distraction and a pointless endeavour given there were other far more important issues requiring attention.
But then something happened. A very close friend challenged me. She asked me one question, and that was why? Granted it was framed in a number of different ways but it was always that one word why? Why do you just regurgitate the party lines? Why don’t you do some research beyond just what you are given? Why should we reject the chance to do things differently?
Never one to resist a challenge I duly went off and started looking at things, I read everything I could find, and sat and thought about what it was that mattered to me. I thought about the concept of solidarity and working with our friends and neighbours and questioned if sacrificing our own opportunity for change was truly showing solidarity. I continued to go about my day to day life but cut back on what I was doing to support Better Together, I started openly questioning colleagues when they put forward thoughts that were in my eyes not fully formed or based on questionable logic. I started reading more from the Common Weal and from alternatives to the traditional media. I started to realise that in actual fact we could totally start again with more or less a blank canvas. Build a country that we all could be part of and be proud of. It wasn’t about turning our backs on people in the rest of the UK it was about proving to the political masters in Westminster that the world would not fall apart if we dared to do something different. A working example that could be used as a paradigm of what could be done if there was the political will.
The question you see had planted something, a seed of doubt in my resolute and avowed position of not really being interested in the debate and just going through the campaigning motions to having a genuine interest. It was this seed that grew and grew until I attended a local hustings representing better together having been asked to step in at the last minute for a colleague who had been unable to attend. Anyone that has been to a hustings will know that the best way to approach it is through ensuring you are well prepared for this event I was not. It was about half way through and I was running through a repertoire of usual lines and figures and well-worn clichés when I said the line “independence is inevitable” in the context of the continuing process of devolution. It was at this point the penny dropped and I realised that I was on the wrong side, I no longer believed what I was standing for.That was it, I went to bed that night after a couple of post hustings drinks with fellow participants , I woke up the next day,
day followed night , night followed day, the world kept spinning. You see even on as momentous a vote as this changing your mind is not a sin, neither is having a difference of opinion, even if it is with yourself. It is entirely healthy to, as life develops and you experience new things, or simply through re-evaluating your position in the world, change your mind.
So I had changed my mind, taken a step back from the No campaign and watched from the side lines. Whilst watching events unfold in front of me I became increasingly frustrated with the tone of the No side of the debate. In particular with the way that some of the senior figures conducted themselves. This old fashioned man on a soapbox shouting down others opinion in particular galled me. The more I saw of this coupled with some of the crazier claims about the effect of independence the more I knew I was making the right decision.
The day itself came, I was in Glasgow at a course (my partner cast a proxy for me) I spent the whole day attempting to do an essay so that I could take my mind off what was going on. Other than the occasional text to my partner to see how things were looking in Moray I did what I could to keep my mind off. But inevitably I sat up until whatever time of the morning Moray eventually managed to get its result declared. I sat and watched the results come in one after another, watched as declaration after declaration was made and as hope slowly slipped away. Then something strange happened, after a short phone call from the Moray count I realised I was crying, in that moment I became acutely aware of the fact that this hope and potential that could have been realised through a Yes vote was gone.
I sat over the next few days and saw the fallout including the George Square incident having left Queen Street Station just as things were kicking off. I watched David Cameron basking in the glory of what quickly became put across as a Tory victory and I listened as the party I was a member of started to implode. It quickly became clear that the knives were out for the leader of the party, who up until this point had not exactly been given the ringing support of the membership and even less so of her peers. When the inevitable happened and she resigned it became obvious to me that the most likely winner of the contest was one of the No camps least agreeable individuals. I decided that I could not be a member of the party I cancelled my direct debit and waited for my membership to lapse. Confirmation came the day the leadership result was declared this was all the sign I needed to be assured of my decision.
Following this I took a vow of abstinence from political parties and politics in general, this lasted all of around 6-8 weeks after which I joined the Greens having been impressed with their views and positions on a number of issues during the campaign. So I joined and went out and campaigned and had a thoroughly good time as I always do when campaigning it really is the most fun you can have with other people. But after a while I grew restless, I agreed largely with the Green policies and the local members were lovely and very welcoming but deep down I didn’t feel I was in the right place, for me one of the most important drivers to see the changes I wanted for society was through independence. For me the Greens, whilst clearly supporters of independence were just simply not enough, having had my moment of clarity I felt I should be doing
more. So whilst sitting in a London theatre I decided that I should join the SNP. I felt that only through them could the necessary steps be made in order to convince the public that independence is not only viable and practical but also the best way to improve everyone’s lives for the better. Plus if nothing else why fight what is quite obvious, even a political journeyman like me, inevitable?
