David Mackenzie

I  am a retired schoolteacher and education officer and presently am  involved as a volunteer in the nuclear disarmament movement via Trident  Ploughshares, Nukewatch and Scottish CND. I have long recognised that  the reality of weapons of mass destruction is but one of the presenting  symptoms of what is agley across the planet. For me the prompt to play a  part for a  fully human take on security was noting that even in  progressive circles in Scotland there is a tendency to exclusively  equate security with conventional military defence and nothing else. Yet  we have a great cultural tradition for something much more grounded,  holistic and inclusive - the vision of a better and fairer Scotland that  could contribute to the world with compassionate values and actions.  Hamish Henderson had it:

Broken faimlies in lands we’ve herriet

Will curse Scotland the Brave nae mair, nae mair;

Black and white, ane til ither mairriet

Mak the vile barracks o their maisters bare

So come all ye at hame wi Freedom,

Never heed whit the hoodies croak for doom

In your hoose a' the bairns o Adam

Can find breid, barley-bree and painted room.

Secure  Scotland can do good work towards that vision. We can educate, inform,  develop and engage in a Scotland-wide dialogue around notions of  security and what that means for individuals and communities and we can  pursue wider engagement and network building between agencies concerned  with all aspects of human security.