yeh fan of ontology - forced to try and understand via own experience of being born in scotlands bad stuff.. and along with it exile and 'worldview travel' On 'independance culture' - I hear you Don't ask how - but 7 years ago i (an electronic/alt guitar musician club scene dude) was invited to keynote speak to parliamentary gathering for 5 mins- on 'scotland wide' framework re: self harm and young men in scotland - police, MSPs, health prac's, priests& ministers, TV, radio, community & education activists and various self harm initiatives I opened with: everyone is here except for the one group left that can make this work (communicate deeply and nationally)- they all looked around: I said - where are the artists? I then suggested - a nationwide dreamday - led at grassroots as well as catalysed by those present and I would go spread the word among my fellow artists and my roots around estates etc - everyone involved schools, prisons, estates, arts, media, writers, land owners, politics business worlds - everyone with one question - one day - one year - to think paint speak build your vision of a new scotland they made a lot of noise - about it - but the suggestion ended up on a shelf So, we decided to do it ourselves - we did 4 dreamdays in edinburgh 4 yrs ago - inviting folks from every sphere mentioned above to speak for 5 mins on future of scotland and what they want to do to make it happen - in 4 venues around edinburgh - in nightclubs, business venues, folk venues - then in between each DDay we found guerilla investors and gifters to put money into the ventures and projects that sprang up - folks kicked off about 52 projects so far among grassroots of edinburgh and speeding up. so I and others now travel around scotland finding good ideas/projects - sharing around contacts, expertise with a mix of a bit of guerilla funding (DIY, no strings, small amounts locally led/supported) we're at about 80 projects around scotland now - local health ideas, mad ideas for prisons, innovative arts festivals in hidden places, kids self led politics and education projects on housing estates - and my favourite: wild cards - mad DIY ideas to better a place or challenge stuff by people who wouldn't normally get funding - given trust, no strings.. just off ye go; out and play! I'm now convinced that most of scotland - is way ahead of its leaders and catalysts - in terms of its dreams of future scotlands and also - and much of this is way offline- aboriginal exilic wisdom from scotland's places and fallow lands has much deep medicine to inoculate against the young from empire infection in global times (you wont hear that on bbc scotland) my travels around haggisland across its sacred secular divide and classes and spectrum of worldviews hunting with folks for hidden dreams and getting practical boosts to them- doing this has mended something of my wounded ontology - I've been baptised in its mud or something - and now see scotland as big, warm and funny - not doomed. so if I were to report findings so far: I'd say 3 things are needed 1. the education campaign you mention - ( inc. understanding 'the land' - as rich context for self determination and the wisdom within traditions of liberation and non-violence around the planet - andy wightman meets aly macintosh and my old mate francisco and his chums in caracas slums etc.. ) 2. I still think a national dreamday (deep and wide - with special invite to prisoners, mentally ill, and most disinherited places and folk in scottish society) as catalyst for solidarity and re-dignification of caledonian aboriginal wisdom - like in rainforest- contain deep medicine for what ails scotland 3. I call it guerilla funding - hit and run - thousands of ideas and projects and even DIY built eco houses on land buybacks-small amounts, fast, easy to distribute and even multiply and release inspire local networks to (fun)d their own local stuff here's the funny thing -all I wanted to do was just wanted to play with my guitar (;-)

Juggernaut of joy - brilliant hah! it's also about the shift that is occurring on the ground - 300 years of Ontology and mythology bathed in the hot baths of empire - are raw and naked and open to the sky; folks are looking not just for a better nation They are also hungering for a better story great post btw

2 weeks ago - Invited various housing estate friends and docker chums in Glasgow to meet with Francisco in Glasgow (Belgian ex priest involved in Caracas liberation initiative in 70s and dockers strike in his home town) spent ages talking about future of docks and industry in Scotland Scotland as empire's little doctor Frankenstein - needs to be consigned to dustbin of history Great post