Canvassing for Yes Scotland!

Since the Independence Referendum is coming up, I thought I'd share a bit about one of the few opportunities as an intern that I've had relating to the Scottish Independence Referendum: Canvassing. 

Canvassing is a method of grassroot campaigning in which one goes to doors, knocks, and campaigns to constituents. Think of a door to door salesman, only you're asking about political views etc.

For those who don't know, here's a wee bit of background on Scottish politics. On September 18th, 2014 Scotland will hold an independence referendum asking voters one question: Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes? No? If Scotland becomes an independent country it will no longer be a part of the United Kingdom. The main grassroot campaigning group supporting independence is called "Yes Scotland." The campaigning group that does not support an independent Scotland is called "Better Together." 

Better Together Logo. Credits go to bettertogether.net

As an intern for a Scottish National Party Member of Scottish Parliament, I definitely canvassed for "Yes Scotland" every Tuesday night in late April and May from 6-8:30 PM for Edinburgh Central. Why? Yes, I admit I did canvass for the work experience, but I also canvassed because I believe Scotland is better off as an independent nation than as a member of the United Kingdom.

Yes Scoland Logo. Credits go to YesScotland.net

Process of canvassing for "Yes Scotland"
So as a canvasser, I was given surveys with electoral information on the survey. As a canvasser my job was to ask the person on the survey 2 questions: 1. Should Scotland be an independent country? and 2. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being completely against an independent Scotland and with 10 being completely for an independent Scotland where would you place yourself at? 

If the person being surveyed was there, I would ask them and tick their responses; however, I have run into the case that people did not want to actually talk or weren't there at all. In the case that someone wasn't there, I just left the survey with an free post envlope so he or she could mail his/her response, but in the case that he or she refused to talk I just wrote a gigantic R. Other canvassing problems for me involved confusing the doors because the numbering system on UK doors is absolute rubbish. E.g. P means ground floor, and I would see things like PF4 meaning primary floor 4th room. The problem is when doors aren't labelled, you can get PF1 and PF4 confused/ deliver the wrong surveys. What I learned: Assume the door closest to the hallway/ staircase is 1. 

Other pain in the arse problems: sometimes the letterbox is either too high or too low to stuff surveys.

When I first canvassed, I was partnered with one of the most charming Parliament Assistants and canvassers ever, Sheena Clevland. She taught me how to get people to answer the buzzers and let me into the building (this is not as easy as it sounds), and just how to canvass in general. There is no one set canvassing strategy, but here's what I ended up doing: For the buzzer I would say "Hi, I'm canvassing for the independence referendum and I was wondering if you could let me into the stairs please?" As for the doors, I would ask if someone was in and if they had a moment to spare just ask them the questions, and answer any questions they had about independence.  

The act of canvassing itself is a little bit nervewrecking because at first the fear of rejection and failure is overwhelming. The first time I canvassed, I basically had 10 people who said nos or didn't respond / rejected me, and I was gutted; however, the fear of rejection and failure slowly stopped phasing me. As for speaking, yes I was nervous and I still am, but I've greatly improved at speaking and improvising answers on the spot. Sometimes my efforts did seem futile, but there have also been moments I've ran into the one person who passionately supported the Yes Campaign, and it was these simple moments that made my day, and made my efforts worth it. :)

Overall, canvassing was one of the most nervewrecking things I've done, but I also think it is one of the few things I already miss about interning at the Scottish Parliament.

I'll update more, but until next time

Cheers,

Tina 

Travelling in Scotland!

Transportation and costs in a nutshell: 

So like my fellow interns, I know that being in Scotland means you should take all the opportunties and explore Scotland...and so being the crazy traveller....I did. In terms of the cities I've been to in Scotland, I've been to Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrews, Lilinthgow, Stirling, and Musselburgh. Additionally, I also went on a tour with some of my UCEAP friends to the Isle of Skye so we did stop by places like Fort Williams (where Loch Ness is), the island of Skye itself, Perth, and some other crazy places.......so yes I have travelled around in Scotland.

Me and some of my crazy Scottish Parliament buddies James Young Kim and Derek Westeroff :).

In terms of transportation, the train is definitely the most convenient method; however, I've also taken buses too. In terms of price difference.....depending on the time of day + the means of public transportation the differences can be huge. For example, Edinburgh to Glasgow takes about 1 hour both by bus and train; however, a round trip ticket via train will cost 12.60 pounds and a round trip via bus will cost 11.70 pounds. For places like St Andrews, and Musselburgh I did use the bus; however, most of the time I used train simply due to convenience...and the amazing pastys at "The Pasty Shop" at Waverly Train Station. 

When I'm in a hurry to go, and forget about breakfast....nothing beats getting a huge warm flakey pasty in the morning. :)

If you want to travel via train, the tickets aren't cheap. After leaving Scotland, what I learned from my friends, George Ward is to GET A 16-25 RAIL CARD.  As long as you're under 25, a 16-25 railcard costs 30 pounds and allows you to buy 30% off discounted tickets. It costs 30 pounds a year, but you can buy it for 3 years. Also if you can, buy the tickets online (advanced). This can save you so much money. E.g. A single ticket to London on the day of can cost 125.50 pounds, but if you use a railcard and book maybe 2 weeks in advance this could cost 44.50 pounds.

Where should I travel?

I can't exactly advise on this because everyone has different tastes; however, I tend to be a huge castle lover, so one of the things I did was invested in getting a Historic Scotland Membership card. The Historic Scotland Membership card allows you to travel to over 345+ places such as Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Linlithgow Palace, or Doune Castle.  

Yes to all of you Monty Python geeks, Doune Castle is the Castle where they filmed Monty Python. If you go there, get an audio guide because it's narrated by the one and only Terry Jones :). 

Also Historic Scotland places tend to have stamps, so yes my other main reason for travelling in Scotland was to go around and be like a pokemon trainer.....and collect all the stamps I could collect.

Gotta collect them all Historic Scotland!. Ok that did not sound as catchy as the Pokemon Song like I thought it did. Also yes I have been to more places, I just forgot to get my lovely book stamped. 

Travelling in Edinburgh? My favorite places :).

Sometimes I just become way too lazy to walk or take a bus to the train station, so in Scotland I also did a lot of travelling around Edinburgh. Here's my top 4 rankings:

Some of the lovely interns and I went to Edinburgh Castle...but sadly it was closed upon arrival. :< 

1. Edinburgh Castle 

Edinburgh Castle is definitely a must because you get a gorgeous view + you can learn quite a lot about Edinburgh Castle's role in Scottish Wars, history etc. They also have the National War Museum inside Edinburgh Castle with 7 gallery exhibitions. For those who don't want to get a Historic Scotland Pass one visit costs 16 pounds, but Edinburgh Castle is big enough that you may take 2-3 visits before you see all of what the castle hasto offer. (It took me 3 visits before I saw everything.) 

2. National Galleries of Scotland

For all you traditional art lovers (not the ones into contemporary art) I kid you not...the National Gallery of Scotland is the MUSEUM in Scotland where they have a ton of paintings by Titian, Rembrandt, Monet, and even a painting by the great Leonardo Da Vinci. It's a bit overwhelming because the walls are quite literally covered in paintings, but if you're a huge art geek like me you'll find yourself not wanting to leave the museum..until the staff tell you to leave because they're closing.

Admission cost: Free! 

If you go during January, National Gallery Scotland has a special limited William Turner Watercolour Exhibition.

3. Arthurs Seat 

Arthurs seat is the highest point in Edinburgh where you can get the best panoramic view of Edinburgh. Located in Holyrood Park, Arthurs seat sits on top of an extinct volcano. From the Scottish Parliament it's about a 35 minute walk to get to the top. :) My suggestion: climb and get up there before sunrise and watch the sun rise at 6AM. (This time will vary depending on the season.)

On a sunny day, hiking to Arthurs seat is the best!

4. National Museum of Scotland

For all you science lovers, history lovers, culture lovers, er..and taxidermy lovers, the National Museum of Scotland is a miniature Crystal Palace World Exhibition with amazing exhibitions on...well everything. Everything Scottish anyways (e.g. Dolly the Sheep, Higgs Particle, Tartan etc.) and a few things in the world: Ancient Egyptian pottery, Assyrian reliefs etc. Not as overwhelming as the National Gallery of Scotland, but still, the National Museum of Scotland is pretty big and you may find yourself spending a few hours to see everything.  Admission cost: Free! 

This is the stunning interior of the National Museum of Scotland

5. Palace of Holyrood

This is where the Queen officially resides in Scotland for a week or so every year. Palace of Holyrood is right across from the Scottish Parliament, and although it doesn't look like much.....it's quite deceptive. I didn't see the Queen's Gallery, but I did go into the Palace of Holyrood itself and it's a really gothic and ornate mansion. Additionally in the gardens, you will find the remains of Holyrood Abbey. Overall, the grandiose nature of the Palace of Holyrood with its extensive collection of silver will make you wish you were the queen just so you could live there. 

Fun fact: From the Palace of Holyrood to Edinburgh Castle, the distance is approximately 1 mile. This is why Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile is named the Royal Mil.e :)

Admission Prices:

Palace of Holyrood exhibit + queens gallery + garden tour = 18 pounds. 

Palace of Holyrood exhibit + queens gallery = 14.50 pounds

Palace of Holyrood exhibit only: 10.30 pounds.

The Palace of Holyrood exhibit does come with a audio guide :) and make sure you get your ticket stamped so you can enter again another day. *note if you are a member of Historic Scotland, you get a 20% discount.

There are a few places I haven't been to such as Dynamic Earth which I heard was spectacular, as well as the Portrait Gallery, so if I ever come back to Scotland, I will probably explore those and blog about it too.

Anyways until next time,

Cheers!

Tina