GUSNA, the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association, predates the SNP by seven years. Past members include Ian Hamilton, Winnie Ewing and First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
In an interview for The National, GUSNA’s President Euan Bell told me what it was like to “stand on the shoulders of giants” – a common phrase at society meetings: “It feels quite strange being part of an organisation that has been around for so long and had such an impact.”
Bell, a second-year history student, became society president in March last year after the pandemic suspended GUSNA’s activities. He labels himself part of a “new generation” leading nationalist societies at Scottish universities and the SNP’s youth wing.
The biggest challenge is maintaining his predecessors’ momentum – especially after the pandemic. “Covid really hit all the societies hard,” he said.
Where in a normal year GUSNA expects 20 new members from first-year students, the society now has 20 members in total as it starts from scratch.
For this reason, Bells aims to “find a balance between social activities and campaigning” to recruit new students, many of whom are not existing SNP members.
“It’s a lot easier to sell to people if you say, ‘Do you want to chat about politics over a pint?’ than ‘Do you want to climb up some tenements in the cold?’,” he joked.
This semester, as well as social events, the association is planning leafleting and a panel with SNP MSPs to help “meet like-minded students”.
Regarding politics and the university itself, Bell lamented “the absolutely abysmal state of student accommodation”.
First-year students are no longer guaranteed a place in halls, he said, with those unable to find housing being told to drop out. Bell blamed this on a “profits-over-people model in management” and a lack of collective action.
“I don’t think the pressure is being put on unis,” he said, calling for a cross-party solution.
Asked what led to his activism, Bell said he grew up in Reading where Scottish independence wasn’t “quite on the radar”. Before moving back to Glasgow to study, he campaigned for UK Labour – until the 2019 election.
“They [the rUK] actually elected Boris Johnson!” he exclaimed, before condemning the Labour Party for being afraid to “challenge the Tory narrative”.
Raising issues such as Brexit and the loss of the Erasmus scheme to UK students and the Rwanda deportation plans for asylum seekers, Bell said the UK continues to fail Scotland’s interests “no matter who’s in charge”.
As a young leader, Bell, 19, is optimistic about independence. “We will see it in our lifetime,” he said.
Unionists, he believes, have a “terminal issue”, as recent polling suggests the strongest Yes support is among Generation Z.
Still, he said, we must not be complacent – having supporters is very different to mobilising them.
“It isn’t going to happen by itself,” Bell said, with one final message for Scotland’s youth that if they want independence: “You need to get out there and campaign for it.”
