Time to let go?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Ian Hislop’s Olden days. A nostalgic clamouring for yesteryear sometimes seems a ubiquitious panacea to the apparent ills of modern society. Glasgow’s lost utopia is, arguably, the zenith of pride and community spirit centered on the shipbuilding industry. Until the latter part of the twentieth century, the city witnessed the repeated rising of colossal ships that dominated the skyline and then the climax of them running down the slipways to showcase the enterprise of Clydeside around the world. In Glasgow, only defence contractors BAE remain. While just outside the city, Faslane – with its nuclear submarines – constitutues the largest single site employer in Scotland.

The shipyards at Govan and Scotstoun are highly political. They are as much an emotional attachment to an idealised past as they are workplaces for several thousand of our fellow citizens. Not surprising then, that the loss of the last bastion of Glasgow’s shipbuilding empire is a potent threat, which Philip Hammond and the No campaign have seized upon. I work as a pilot on the River Clyde. The sense of history is palpable when I navigate vessels up and down this iconic waterway. At low tide you can still see a slipway at the old John Brown’s yard – now Clydebank College. Sadly, a truly globalised industry has witnessed more productive competitors seize the initiative to the extent that even the UK government ordered its new Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers from Korea.

At the same time, there is an attempted renaissance on the Clyde. New BBC headquarters at Govan, the Riverside Museum and a smattering of property development herald a paradigm shift long over due. Glasgow’s incorporation of its most famous natural asset is, however, well behind the curve. London leads the way in terms of the adaptation of historic docks in the UK. Liverpool, Portsmouth and Cardiff are among other commendable examples. Unfortunately shipyards, scrap merchants and the other decrepit remnants of a bygone age are not the most sought after neighbors for modern development that requires the approval of individuals and families to live and relax. To fully benefit from what the Clyde could add to an evolved service based economy, a holistic approach is essential. Only a radical blueprint will suffice to rejuvinate a near dormant artery.

The seeds of regeneration have been sown and the Commonwealth Games can provide the impetus. Glasgow’s river might be too shallow for the largest modern cargo ships but there is ample depth for yachts and medium sized passenger vessels including the historic Waverly paddle steamer. Whether Scotland votes yes or no, I think it is time to look forward rather than back. Glasgow’s river is a wonderful natural asset, which could provide opportunities for future generations that far outweigh the piecemeal existence of dwindling defence contracts. And while we’re on the subject of revitalising waterfronts, might there be an alternative use for Faslane should it be determined that nuclear submarines are consigned to the olden days? A booming cruise sector and Scotland’s status as a growth tourist destination intimates just one possibility.