Critical Conversations: Isobel Lindsay
In the inaugural episode of Critical Conversations, we speak to Isobel Lindsay, a sociologist, peace campaigner, and advocate for Scottish independence whose influence on Scottish politics has spanned more than five decades.
We draw on Isobel’s experience of Scottish politics to assess the current state of affairs in the SNP and beyond, reflecting on a lifetime of campaigning, going back to the 1960s. In an expansive and detailed discussion, part social history, part analysis, we explore many of the themes raised in Embezzling Hope. This interview is full of original insights about the independence movement throughout its various phases, of interest regardless of where you sit on the constitutional question, as well as wider public policy debates.
Born in Hamilton in 1943, Isobel studied at the University of Glasgow before becoming a lecturer in sociology at the University of Strathclyde. Alongside her academic career, she is a prominent voice in Scotland’s civic and political life. She joined the Scottish National Party in the 1960s and served as its Vice Chair during the 1970s, contributing to major initiatives such as “It’s Scotland’s Oil.”
Following the failed devolution referendum of 1979, Lindsay became a leading figure in efforts to build cross-party support for constitutional reform, serving as a key organiser of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly, which helped lay the foundations for the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
She has played a prominent role in anti-nuclear campaigning in Scotland and has served in leadership positions within Scottish CND. Throughout her public life, she has championed social justice, democratic reform, and civic participation.
Respected across political traditions, Isobel Lindsay is widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in Scotland’s constitutional and civic movements, combining academic insight with decades of grassroots activism and public engagement.
Critical Conversations is a new feature for paid subscribers
