THE COSY CLUB: The birth of the new Scottish elite

[First published in 2011]

It’s almost 21 years since the devolved Scottish Parliament was reconvened.

It was a time of great positivity and of hope. A new dawn had risen across Scotland and there was a real sense of optimism in those early days.

On July 1st 1999, the Scottish Parliament was reconvened. There was a tangible sense that we were witnessing something truly historic. It was a remarkable, memorable period.

At that time most of the parliamentary staff were new to the world of “professional” politics. All appeared deeply committed to the task ahead, firmly believing they were on the road to taking back the country’s independence after almost 300 years.

But gradually it became evident, over many months and then years, that there were more and more people appearing whose commitment to the goal of independence wasn’t immediately obvious.

The success of the SNP only increased that drift of “new talent” as invariably politics graduates of various sorts began to view the prospects of a job as a parliamentary assistant, researcher, adviser or press officer as a comfortable way to advance their own careers.

But something else began to evolve. The cosy club began to emerge, often comprising individuals from opposing parties, mixing freely and often indiscreetly with political journalists. The often declared and admirable aim of the 5th estate is to scrutinise the elected representatives. It shouldn’t be a difficult task. All they need to do is report the facts and crucially hold the Government and elected representatives to account and in doing so inform their audiences, the wider public, a level of transparency and accountability that they will never get from politicians themselves. But when the media fail in that central task and a cosy consensus is established, it is bad for both journalism, politics and our wider democracy.

Many will argue that such bonds, such herd behaviour is natural and inevitable but it also comes with consequences for transparency and simply mimicked too closely the nepotistic culture of Westminster.

In 1999 a new establishment was in town but quickly adopted the same attitudes and behaviours of that other place.

HEADBUTTING IS NOT A RULE BREAKER IN THE COSY CLUB

One striking example of how cosy things had become occurred during a parliamentary press reception for political journalists.

A young, ambitious and tediously boring SNP MSP, who used to regularly creep up behind parliamentary MSP’s staff and whisper the word “c**t” in their ear, was determined to confront a senior, well-known and pompous political editor. Unbeknown to the MSP the political editor in question, who has a tall and imposing physical presence, had been indulging in the complimentary bubbly that was being freely offered at the reception and was in a typically bombastic mood with those around him. As the MSP remonstrated with him over a particularly scathing article written about him the political editor evidently lost patience.

He would later claim he didn’t mean to make contact with the MSP but instead his “air headbutt” had failed to stop short, as planned he later claimed, and knocked the MSP to the floor. There was no lasting brain injury to either party and the political editor later issued a full personal apology to the MSP in question.

But you may be forgiven for thinking that in a room full of other political journalists and politicians such an incident may have resulted in a headline or too. But even back then, in those early days, that is not how the cosy club operates. It’s in a bubble all of its own with strong vested interests at stake and therefore rarely inclined to rock the boat.

CAREERISTS AND CHARLATANS

Many insiders claim that things haven’t changed much except it has become even more incestuous and protective of club members.

For the careerists and political charlatans it is an easy game to play. Don’t question, don’t criticise and whatever you do, don’t think.

For those running the club, and their overly enthusiastic bouncers on the door, the power trip has become intoxicating.

Those who have ruthlessly pursued this political existence as a career but who lack any substantive commitment to independence, have advanced and profited from the largesse of devolution and now believe they are untouchable and unstoppable.

That has dangerous consequences for democracy, transparency and accountability and, of course, the delivery of independence. They will do everything and anything they can to maintain the cosy club so long as their narrow, selfish, personal needs are met and crucially, they remain in control.

They take no quarter, no dissent and definitely no challenge to their position even if it means ruthlessly (and purely metaphorically) stabbing former close associates and friends in the back because this current leadership in Scotland has historic form in this area.

That political approach and style should be left rotting where it belongs, in the gutter of Westminster.

Mark Hirst sitting, far left, and at the other end of the row Sean Connery, at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.