michael

Jana Havel, who moved to Scotland from Slovakia, explains her journey to understanding her political surroundings – and why Brexit and the Tory Government changed her mind on independence

ALMOST 10 years ago, just a few months into my 18th year of life, fresh out of the high school, my first steps from my Slovak homeland led to Scotland, and the dark and ever rainy north east of the Caledonia – Aberdeenshire. It was a country known to me just a little from a few geography and English lessons.

My brief visit of three months then did not allow me to understand the comparisons of our countries that ultimately would let me feel educated enough to make decisions over its future.

After a couple of summers spent in Edinburgh and exchange courses at Napier University, I returned again and this time started to put down the roots. Getting to know the local politics behind the Edinburgh trams and Scottish Parliament did not convince me we were very different from each other as nations, as it happens back home that PPPs (Public Private Partnership) somehow always tend to run way over what is contracted.

On the other hand, from a perspective of an employee, Scotland seemed to be developed to a great extent for benefiting workers, whether it is from working conditions perspective, anti-discrimination laws and their application in reality and many more. Believe it or not, your public services run to a standard unheard of back in Eastern Europe.

I voted No to stay stronger within countries that work relatively efficiently, and to stay part of the EU. In the aftermath I felt this was a truly right decision.

Until a few months before the independence referendum, when conversation started gaining momentum, it was the first time I was placed in front of a decision that will change the face and the soul of the country for the foreseeable future.

Scotland was given a chance to hold a referendum. Back in 1992 this was not optional for people from Czechoslovakia. Governing parties agreed unilaterally that it would be for a great benefit of two nations to go separate ways. And so we did. Historically, Czechs used to better in almost everything: industries, commerce, even humour. Slovaks, a fairly new nation, used to stick to the roots of ever oppressed mentality dating back to days of Hungarian empire, and our brief existence within the Czechoslovak federation during communism did not teach us to have a healthy relationship to money.

A decade since independence we started to look towards Europe, again joining a structure that was greater than just a single nation, allowing it to grow, improve in ways a single country couldn’t and ultimately reversing the original decision to crumble what was just a piece of not yet formed dough placed into an oven of capitalism.

When in Scotland, this experience convinced me to be pro-union, understandably not based on the most empirical of facts. I voted No to stay stronger within countries that work relatively efficiently, and to stay part of the EU. In the aftermath I felt this was a truly right decision.

Am I hoping for new independence referendum? Yes. Hoping for a future within Europe? Unequivocal yes.

There exists vast difference between left parties here in the UK and leftists back home. Labour, or the SNP for that matter, is not tainted by the communist past and tries to somewhat instil noble ideas of social equality, whereas Slovak or Czech leftwing politicians still follow this crippled figure of what was supposed to be a great economical system but due to its incorrect execution ultimately collapsed.

Therefore, for me now as resident of Scotland, it was really important for the left to win last UK General Election. I did not have a say as I am not a citizen. But the results yet again proved the ideological differences and variance in mentality of Scots to the rest of the country. I grew to love this country, its people and I was heartbroken for them. And my perspective changed.

Why should Scotland be governed by Tories, when such a popular vote proved that Scotland wants equality, working and efficient social services, and everything a silly, egalitarian idealist like I would wish for?

And then the EU referendum happened. It was the strangest morning I had ever woken up to, mainly because I did not think Leave campaign would actually win. All of my plans for the future were yet again diminished to dreams.

Initial disbelief and disenchantment dissolved and we are now standing ahead of a different future. Am I hoping for new independence referendum? Yes. Hoping for a future within Europe? Unequivocal yes.

Picture courtesy of Chris Milne