IT is one of Scotland’s most successful and influential think tanks – but after more than a decade, Nordic Horizons is appealing to the Scottish people for assistance so it can keep informing us about our neighbouring countries and the success they enjoy as independent nations.
Nordic Horizons was set up 11 years ago after an accidental meeting between National columnist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch and Edinburgh-based health professional Dan Wynn on a train headed for Inverness.
Falling into discussion over her recent Scotsman column about Norway, the pair spent the rest of the journey north hatching a new policy group to bring Nordic experts into Scottish life.
Since then, more than 60 speakers have travelled from all five Nordic countries – plus Greenland and the Faroes – to speak at public gatherings, often in the Scottish Parliament, and at private meetings with Scottish civil servants.
READ MORE: SNP back motion to speed up independent Scotland adopting own currency
They stated: “Has Nordic Horizons had a bit of a political impact over the last decade? We like to think so.
“Tapio Lappi-Seppälä from Finland came to speak around the time the Scottish Government embraced the Finnish community payback model in prison reform.
“Professor Jon Kvist from Denmark spoke about the Danish ‘flexicurity model’ of welfare and was invited to sit on the First Minister’s expert group on welfare.
“Bjørt Samuelsen from the Faroe Islands and Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson – architect of the EEA ‘halfway house’) – were amongst the speakers at a post-Brexit Nordic Horizons event examining how small Nordic nations function within and outwith the European Union.
“Both met later with Nicola Sturgeon and might have prompted the Scottish Government’s announced willingness to consider EEA membership as an option for any post-independence Scotland.
“The event also triggered the book McSmorgasbord – published by Luath press and co-edited by Nordic Horizons director Lesley Riddoch and the late Paddy Bort.”
Those are just a few of the highlights – there are dozens of videos, podcasts and audio recordings on the website www.nordichorizons.org available to all.
Riddoch said: “We were lucky to have Scottish Government funding for five years from 2015 until 2019 when we took a break for a year, before the Covid lockdown ruled out all face-to-face events.
READ MORE: Alex Neil: 'No sign of SNP doing the hard work needed for independence'
"Since then we’ve had no further funding but members of the small Nordic Horizons steering group have carried the costs of maintaining our web archive of video, audio and information plus three Zoom events on Covid recovery, the Social Democrats’ Nordic advance and our forthcoming event tonight – Life after COP26.
“We also maintain a frisky Nordic Horizons Facebook page and a Twitter account (@NordicHorizons) with items of Nordic news, both with 3000 followers.
“Whether Scotland remains devolved or becomes independent, the examples set by our high-achieving Nordic neighbours will be important for us to know more about.
“So we’ve decided to ask for public support to keep the Nordic Horizons show on the road.”
Find out more at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/nordic-horizons-crowdfunder
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here