Rhubarb

4 St Edward’s r h u b a r b

The Scottish Referendum Cameron Buchanan (C, 1960-1965) MSP

The whole Scottish Parliament is dominated at the moment by the Scottish National Party and everyone will be familiar with the recent referendum. I took a very active part in this, dealing mostly with the international media as I was able to use my language skills to speak on French, Swiss, Canadian, US, German and Spanish television/radio. I even made the front page of the New York Times waving a Union Jack handkerchief that I happened to have in my pocket, after we realised we had won the vote. The parliament is run by committees Standards, Procedures and Appointments Committee. I am the Local Government spokesman of a 15-strong Conservative Group out of 129 seats in all. In fact, the Local Government Regeneration Committee has proved very interesting because we are dealing with legislation on air guns, taxi fares and the licensing of black and mini cabs, and the re- organisation of Community Councils (in England – Parish Councils). Standards and Procedures is about the disciplining of Councillors and the procedures as to how the parliament works. As everybody realises, we have just gained new powers and there is a challenge here for all parties to behave responsibly and show that we are capable of enacting them. It is going to be extremely complicated, particularly tax matters. However we are all going to have to deal with these matters and prepare for the General Election in May 2015. The Conservatives had a very good referendum campaign and are currently on an upward curve (though not as much as the Scottish National Party, who have not really accepted the result of the Referendum). I think we have won the battle but if we are not careful we will lose the war. If one is going into politics I must say this is probably the most fascinating time to enter it and although I consider myself a relatively new entrant it is a hugely enjoyable challenge. and I am on a Local Government Regeneration Committee and the

In an interview with St Edward’s English Teacher and fellow Scot, Ewan Gault, Cameron gives us a close insight into his political life: Was there anything about your time at St Edward’s that you felt prepared you for your life in the worlds of business and politics? I was interested in politics and in the sixth form went to a current affairs society, but I would not say that it exactly prepared me for it, but the School gave me a good all-round education. The last year in Scottish politics has been incredibly exciting. Did you have any interesting experiences during the referendum campaign? Millions. I had to deal with some abuse, which I think I handled well. As I speak a number of languages I had great fun appearing on a range of TV channels, which was most amusing. A few years ago I had a brain tumour, so I cannot really canvas on the doorsteps. Instead I spoke to people in cafés. Most commentators felt that the referendum has energised the electorate in Scotland and raised interest in political debate to an extent that has not been witnessed in the UK for decades. Do you think there are any lessons that the parties inWestminster can learn from this process? I think the first lesson we learned is the value of enthusiastic participation from 16 and 17 year olds. During the referendum campaign they were well-informed and did not simply vote the way their parents had done. Those that appeared on televised debates were very impressive. During the political debates they were highly engaged and less aggressive than older voters. There was a lot of aggression during the campaign, mainly from the yes side, with people saying that they felt that they were dominated by England. While there was lots of abuse, not much of it was physical.

f e a t u r e s

Cameron Buchanan MSP

In your introductory article, you talk about the possibility of winning the battle but losing the war with regards to the referendum.Are there any specific circumstances that you feel could enable the SNP to demand another referendum? No one wants a neverendum, as the Canadians call it, because people will get bored of them continually calling for a referendum, but whatever we offer the SNP it can never be enough. They are a one policy party and they remain focused on their goal of achieving independence. Many of them have not accepted that they were defeated in September’s referendum and indeed you still see Yes stickers and posters all over the country. You entered politics later in life than many of today’s much maligned career politicians … I stood for the Conservatives in 1999 and was initially interested in standing for the European parliament, then I stood in the Scottish elections and I was third on the list and someone died, so I was selected rather than elected under the proportional representation system. Do you think it’s important for a politician to have had a separate career before entering the political arena? Absolutely. I think it is terribly important that you do not just have people who have been researchers. You need a balanced parliament. Parliaments need to reflect people as a whole, the community as a whole.