Forward to the Past

For anyone who lived through the austere decade of the 1970s, the experience might chime closely with the immediate years ahead – if not already. That particular ten-year stretch was my first decade, yet although somewhat faded and patchy now with the passage of time, I retain a few memories of the difficulties many of us shared back then. These were difficulties which barely registered on a young boy more concerned with action man and lego, but are fascinating to study now as an adult as we stumble into a modern-day version of that briar patch.

The seventies were notable for two major oil shocks – two rehearsals for the kind of energy problems we're likely to see again before much longer. The first, in 1973, was caused by an embargo on oil sales to various western countries by Arab oil producers in response to US involvement in the Yom Kippur war. Then again in 1979 the Iranian revolution brought a second bout of chaos when motorists' panicked memories of the '73 fuel shortages drove the oil price higher than it needed to be, despite only a 4% fall in global production due to Iran's temporary time-out. On top of that, the UK's own troubles included the 3-day week, industrial unrest punctuated by continual strikes, and exceptional inflation levels leading ultimately to a 1976 bail-out by the International Monetary Fund. All of this, questionable fashions, fondue parties and Jimmy Savile did not make for an easy decade.

Queuing for petrol in 1973.

Amongst the many hazy but happy memories I have of that decade are a few that are relevant to the woes of the seventies. The power cuts of the three-day week and dinners in a kitchen lit by candles and the little flickering blue ring of our paraffin heater; my parents' angst over stretched finances, delayed wage payments and the need for assistance from their own parents; the kindness and friendship of a neighbour when emptying larders needed to be shared to provide a simple meal of scrambled eggs and toast for two households' children. To me then it seemed like normality, and I remember it with fond nostalgia, but to my parents and others – primarily those who had dependents – I'm sure their recollections of those times will be harder.

We're going forward into a time where seventies reminiscences are going to be brought to the fore for many who experienced that decade. For those of an even older generation who can remember post-war rationing and thought those days were gone for good, they're likely to be shocked by its eventual re-introduction in one form and another. Coming energy shortages and price hikes will impact food production as much as power generation, so it's not unreasonable to expect rationing in the supermarkets and forecourts of the near future, not to mention of gas and electricity and many other consumer items as an early response to the predicaments ahead. What other unexpected surprises an uncertain future has in store for us remains to be seen.

What we'll need to navigate the challenging times ahead is plenty of the type of sharing and cooperation that I spoke of above – the kind that took place between my family and our neighbour forty or so years ago. That is the kind of sharing of resources that will matter in future years; the kind that will occur in communities and households facing increasingly tough times together, not the one-way “sharing” (ie appropriation) of one nation's resources for the benefit of another that those arguing for the continuation of the unfair UK like to espouse. We'll have work to do to re-build some of the community spirit that's been eroded by a culture of selfishness in more recent times, starting with the toxic me-first ideology of Thatcherism in the 1980s and extending to today where we find it more rapacious and callous than ever. Hope lies in Scotland's more egalitarian nature, which has always resisted the worst of Tory dogma, placing us in a better position to deal with a future that will measure success in the ability to put all of us first. Scottish socialistic tendencies, expressed in such projects as the Jimmy Reid Foundation's Common Weal shows that we have a natural, national sense of community. That's going to prove to be invaluable to us.

And it will be important to put all of us first in the years to come. Post-referendum, whether the result is yes or no, the winning and losing sides are going to have to put past divisions quickly aside. Next on the agenda could be a de-stabilising UK and the economic shock-waves that will set off, likely to be equally as intense whether Scotland is still part of it or not. Cool heads and hard work will be required across the board if we want a country that's re-organised well for the different way of living we'll soon have to adapt to.

There's an impressive grassroots movement in Scotland that proves we can work for a worthy cause. As a follower and participant in the Yes campaign, I'm continually amazed and delighted at the transformation in Scotland – of the awakening of people up and down our country. The air of optimism and hope is palpable on social media. There's a camaraderie there that's delightful to see in our generally apathetic land.

Here then is a suggestion: let's use this energy that's been gathered. If we win, let's not disband in the belief that the job is done. There's a country to re-build, and it will have to be pieced together in ways we aren't yet fully anticipating. If we lose, don't retreat into a sullen gloom – the kind of mood we've discovered is rare in Scotland, counter-culture to our often pessimistic nature. It has arrived at a crucial and expedient time to be put to use for what could be the challenge of the century. Whichever way September goes, let's use it.