FOLLOWING the Scottish National Party’s devastating loss of seats in the General Election, independence has been described as a “hard sell”. But I’m of the opinion that Scottish culture is the key to overcoming this problem as the new Labour government tackles 14 years of

Tory austerity that Scotland never voted for.

I’m also of the opinion that austerity is one of the main reasons the SNP did not fare better in the election. Scottish people live under Westminster rule and rarely get what they vote for; the situation was so bad that voting the Tories out, for many, was a more pressing issue than independence in the current economic climate.

At its heart, independence is about people, not politicians and a shared culture that fundamentally distinguishes one country from another – as much as unions of shared values and human rights, like the European Union, serve a purpose.

As we have seen, Scotland has a strong national identity that continues to suffer in the Union, but if we fully use our devolved powers to help it thrive through adequate investment in the arts, language – and everything else that gives Scotland a unique place on the world stage – a recognition of the importance of independence for every country should be a natural consequence, as many have said before.

Fellow Scots author Colin Burnett agrees, adding: “It often falls to creatives to give an authentic voice to a nation and produce cultural autonomy something politicians aren’t able to do. Political parties are weaved with self-interest.

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“That’s why our own culture is more important than ever. Because if we’re to regain our independence, we need people who represent the realities of Scots.”

A prime example of the distance between the ordinary person and politicians is perhaps best epitomised by the revelation this week that the leader of the Scottish LibDems, Alex Cole-Hamilton, was inflating the price of his garden lodge Airbnb to as much as £216 a night during the Edinburgh Festival – a £65 increase from its nightly price in July.

The festival is an example of everything that is currently going wrong culturally in Scotland.

With accommodation alone estimated to cost between £2000 and £3000 for the month – more than the average Scottish monthly take-home salary – it is inaccessible to many. Then there are the additional costs of a venue and marketing.

Burnett (above), a self-described working-class Edinburgh resident, previously joked on Twitter/X: “The event might as well be held on Neptune.”

This is in spite of the fact that he has proven the popularity of his work, told in the Scots language and set in Edinburgh, by selling multiple runs of his debut short story collection A Working Class State Of Mind.

But the Fringe also provides an opportunity for pro-independence politicians to galvanise support. Take the upcoming threatened bin strikes in Edinburgh in August – every action should be taken to avoid this happening by First Minister John Swinney if the city’s Labour MP fails to stop it.

Then there is the Scottish Government’s promise to invest at least £100 million more in the arts by the year 2028/29, which came in June.

While there have been serious questions about whether this will come to fruition, I can only stress as a Scottish creative myself that it is a matter of national importance, culturally and politically, as scandals like the cancellation of this year’s Aye Write festival, which failed to secure funding this year, cannot be repeated.

But while there is no doubt that Scottish culture faces challenges, hope for the future remains.

Scots language advocate and poet Len Pennie has an audience of almost 700,000 people on TikTok alone, showing a real desire to learn and increased recognition of the historically marginalised leid.

Scottish publisher Luath Press confirmed to The National that they are publishing more books than ever before in both Scots and Gaelic.

Even the continued popularity of the Edinburgh Festival shows a desire to embrace Scottish culture, with this year’s book festival giving me the opportunity to champion the Scots leid for bairns and hosting countless events about culturally important subjects such as the 12 years Mary Queen of Scots in the country.

The Scottish Languages Bill has also provided hope by giving the Scots language legal protection for the first time in its history. If it reaches its potential, it could see a “cradle to the grave” system created where everyone has the opportunity to truly embrace Scotland’s languages – and not just English.

But it’s clear that the Scottish Government has some serious issues to solve, beginning with austerity, if we are to give culture the support it needs to naturally foster independence.