There’s not much to add by way of a ‘review’ after Robin’s piece yesterday ‘So Far So Good’.
This year was emotionally, psychologically and politically both inspiring and – let’s be honest – massively disappointing.
But I’d like to thank everyone – writer, readers and everyone who has dug their hand in their pockets and supported us over the last year. We would have ground to a halt without you. A special thank you to all of the new editorial board and to Jacqueline Gallagher and the team running the Facebook group.
Our proudest moment of 2014? Here’s four stand-out issues:
* Producing Closer 3 dedicated to women in the indy movement.
* Bringing Mr Moodie to the pages of Bella.
* Creating an album of music ‘Songs for Scotland’ and a concert at Oran Mor.
* Bringing Smári McCarthy to Scotland was a coup.
We intend to expand our content and improve our website with a re-launch in January (once we have the indyref awards out of the way). We’ll be back early in 2015.
We are doing this because our work has just begun. As I wrote in Closer 2:
“How can we make sure that the thousands of people who’ve been inspired by the process don’t retreat as politicians try and bring us all back to business as usual? How do we make sure we don’t let power quietly reassert itself?”
That’s my fear. That for all the talk of ‘Scotland has changed forever’ we face an ongoing struggle to overcome decades of inferiorism, cultural colonialism and media bias. We face a battle against lies and distortion, briefings against us and political opportunism from a damaged and hurting unionist political class.
But with an improved new media, a massive swathe of people who have had a rapid political education and the networks and momentum of our movement still intact, I’m up for it. Anyone else on board?
Happy New Year to all our readers and writers. Next year can’t be better, can it?