Solas: The Greenbelt festival’s little Scottish cousin - some reflections from a first time visitor

SOLAS was a great weekend but I came back with the conviction that I don't want to eat barbecued food for a while. The lovely group of people I was with barbecued a super communal meal every evening and, don't get me wrong though it was fantastic, I am now barbecued out. Solas means light in Gaelic and for me the festival brought entertainment and enlightenment.

Solas, now in its second year, is a small festival at Wiston, near Biggar, in the Scottish Borders exploring music, arts, culture, faith and contemporary issues. It is small, intimate, friendly festival with perhaps a maximum of about 700 people involved on site. I am told it is all Greenbelt is but on a much smaller scale and with no queues! The festival organisers have a vision of a Greenbelt type of event that is not hundreds of miles from Scotland and fits in with the Scottish school holidays (We are back to School by the time of the English August bank holiday)

Solas was a good relaxed place to be. The stalls and outlets supplying food and other essentials were fairly priced. It is free from corporate sponsorship. It is safe for all ages. A lasting image will be of wee toddlers dancing right in front of the main stage as one of the headline bands played their set. There were no security men in sight. Not all festivals are like this. There was no alcohol on sale on the site though many participants brought their own. Thankfully this meant that those whose expectation of festival is being smashed off their face for 48 hours hadn't bothered to come. Camping on the site was basic but I think most people can manage two nights without showers and hot water. (When almost everything is outdoors then personal odours are not a major issue!)

Three M's sum up my Solas experience: midges, music and meetings. I began both Saturday and Sunday mornings with an hour long yoga session led by a delightful lady who encouraged us gently to stretch parts that we normally ignore. A wonderfully invigorating start to any day although even at an early hour we had to use “skin so soft” on exposed parts because of the presence of those wee flying devils. Midges also were evident with a vengeance in the evenings but regrettably it was not the weather for much bare flesh.

The eclectic music programme was of a very high standard on both the main stage and other smaller acoustic venues. Open mike sessions encouraged many talented individuals to share their gifts. I laughed heartily with Dundee folk singer Michael Marra and was moved by many young bands. Traditional Scots Gaelic music was present, as was a classical cello and seemingly everything in between! The programme included films, drama, an art exhibition and events especially for small children and older teens.

Solas was a place of meeting as I reconnected with many friends from other places and also met formally in groups to listen to speakers on an exciting range of topical edgy subjects. Climate change, sectarianism, nationalism, violence and equality were all aired by people who were both knowledgeable and had something worthwhile to share. You could not go to these without having your social conscience stimulated. This year the Iona community had sponsored the programme of talks.

The two main sponsors of the festival as a whole were Greenbelt and Christian Aid. (The Christian Aid tent incidentally supplied excellent coffee and wonderful cakes!) We were asked to consider becoming Solas saints by pledging a small amount every month to help ensure the long term sustainability of the festival. This is essential as the consequence of not accepting corporate sponsorship means that it will probably make a loss again this year – which legally is the personal responsibility of the trustees.

There were spiritual elements to the programme – late night worship led by Holy city from Glasgow and an imaginative communion service on Sunday morning that included resources from all over the world.

Solas, I will be back next June.

Nationalism

What does Nationalism mean today?

I attended a discussion panel on nationalism yesterday and have been pondering the issue all day.

Where do I feel that I belong? At an emotional level nationalism is about where I feel at home. It is a sense of identity with a group larger than my immediate household or family. But which group? With the internet I can be as close to a friend in Panama or Paris as a friend on the other side of town. I was born in England but have lived in Scotland for twelve years. After the May 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections the question of my feelings about where I live is an important one. If I were into cheering for a sports team, which team would I support? Nationalism has to be based on a positive attitude for something rather than be defined by who we are different to or those with whom we have historic disagreements. The latter sort of nationalism is a destructive and festering resentment that is unfortunately present in England amongst groups claiming to be most patriotic.

I belong to the world. I travel. I can feel at home in many different places. The United Nations gives focus to this world identity. As a human being I belong to the earth.

But the world is just too big to identify with. I belong to continental Europe and felt at home on recent travel to Croatia, even though it is outside the EU, for we share much history and culture with the central European states. Then there is the EU which encompasses the part of Europe where I live and which has control and influence on many parts of modern life. If I say I feel a European do I mean an EU citizen or a citizen of the area including the countries outside the Union. The list goes on.

Within the EU we live in The British Isles (which includes the whole of Ireland) within the British Isles we are The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Within this we are Great Britain. In GB we are in Scotland. I am in Central Scotland. In that region I am in Stirling and within that local authority area I am in the parish of Blairlogie. Somewhere in this hierarchy of subsidiarities is my primary nationalist impulse.

I can be passionate and exhibit emotions equivalent to nationalism at several different levels. At various times and concerning various issues I will express these feelings relating to different entities. I can be Parochial and I can think globally. But at which level do I feel most nationalistic? It is an emotional decision rather than a legal or logical one. And at present my answer is that I don't really know. It is an issue that needs considerable further reflection before the promised independence referendum. 

Scottish Nationalism and the Idea of Europe: Concepts of Europe and the Nation (British Politics and Society)

The Scottish Debate: Essays on Scottish Nationalism

 Labour and Scottish Nationalism

 Scotland and Nationalism: Scottish Society and Politics, 1707-2000