When it comes to independence, Scotland should be able to take a joke
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Version 0 of 1. In the country that brought you Billy Connolly, Kevin Bridges and Frankie Boyle, we don't joke about independence. Try it and you'll hear the distant thundering of a thousand keyboards being rattled as the humourless masses fire up the MacBooks to accuse you of hating Scotland and playing into the hands of the cybernats/Bullingdon Boys (delete as appropriate). Despite it being the most important political referendum of a generation, our comedians are curiously silent on Scotland's 2014 independence vote. Even the Big Yin himself, Billy Connolly, has declared he's keeping quiet about it, noting "whenever I open my mouth about it, I get it slapped shut". Still Game, Limmy's Show, Gary: Tank Commander – there's excellent comedic talent in Scotland but there's nothing like Have I Got News For You or The Daily Show. Scottish comedian Kim MacAskill suggests that stand-ups will happily joke about independence on stage, but telly won't touch it "because they know they'll get it in the neck from both parties. There are people who are more pro-Scotland than pro-independence and will take any criticism of the independence plan as criticism of their country, which is why it gets so vicious." Scotland's parliament is still relatively immature, which has repercussions for our entire political discourse. In Westminster, Prime Minister's Questions is effectively half an hour of "oh yeah? Sez you!" across the benches but our weekly First Minister's Questions takes the teenage slagging off to a new level. Scottish Labour and the Scottish National party MSPs in particular are infamous for loathing each other. When I spoke to a young MSP, she suggested it was because Holyrood was a young parliament "going through an awkward adolescent phase" and we just had to wait for our democracy to grow up. The problem is that in a fledgling state, satire is perceived as a threat. Is Scotland ready for independence when we issue death threats to comedians who dare to mention it, as happened to Susan Calman earlier this year? The language is telling – sides, fight, enemies, traitor – and there's a distinct whiff of "my side, right or wrong". Instead of being censored by a government or a shadowy cabal, it would appear that we're censoring each other. Perhaps it's also about confidence, or rather the lack of it, if there's a fear that one casual joke will bring your entire structure crashing down. But look at Jon Stewart over in America – unashamedly liberal, he criticises the Democrats (yes, his own side!) yet Obama is still president. The Democratic party is still going strong. Republicans love his show. Why? Because as much as comedy can weaken individual politicians (witness Steve Bell's underpant-wearing rendition of John Major), in the end it strengthens democracy, by opening up politics to the mainstream. Right now, we need a mainstream satirical show more than we need the white paper. Satire lets light on to the political circus and satirists, according to Ian Hislop, are the most idealistic people you'll ever meet because they know society could be so much better than it is now. They're not a threat; they're a symbol of a healthy democracy. Frankie Boyle recently appeared on Russian TV to point out that the number of people on television becomes much narrower during a crisis. Simple crowd-pleasing comedians take precedence while the more challenging comedians are pushed to the edges. Why? "You can't rip people off when they have information. You need a stupid population. You need 50 million people a week watching a dancing dog." The BBC has a commitment to remaining unbiased, which might explain its IndyRef wasteland but STV could easily commission a weekly roundup show. An independent Scottish broadcasting service as suggested in the white paper would provide more scope for Scottish satire but right now we need to reclaim it in advance of the referendum. Scotland needs to prove it's secure enough to withstand comedic criticism instead of claiming outrage at every little throwaway gag. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |