The polarizing referendum campaign may indeed leave a ‘toxic legacy’ should one see the glass half-empty. (‘Ex-civil service chief: indyref debate is so polarised it may leave toxic legacy’ : The Herald Monday 26^th August.)

But from the half-full perspective what we are seeing is the mobilizing and empowering of thousands of new voters, new participants and new groups of agency within the democratic process:  a political process that had become increasingly moribund.

Traditional centres of political power; the grandee oligarchies (in all major parties) are being challenged by fresh energy and sources of political engagement that have found a voice and a purpose within the referendum campaign.  This 21^st century new –democracy, is an idea realized and enabled by the potential of cyber-power. This is a positive, vigorous  legacy that will not disappear. Traditional levers of power like the big-media, the church, trade-unions and the business community are also being challenged by the social forces organized and engaged through social –media.

This alternative democratic movement unlike its 60s & 70s predecessors is not confined to ‘red-radicalism’.  The new-democracy movement has many points of light (animal-rights, environment issues,  and gender concerns ) with autonomy  and participatory engagement  at its heart.

The positive outcomes of the referendum campaign   will refresh and re-energize what has become a dreich, crabbit, unpopular electoral process.

August 28th 2013