Square roots

I managed to get to George Square only once in the days before the referendum vote, being otherwise occupied handing out leaflets for the Yes campaign in Maryhill. I took a break on the Wednesday evening when someone said there was a gathering at the square. It wasn't a meeting. Just a big crowd milling around waving flags, singing, but mostly talking to each other. No speeches as such, except for Hardeep Singh Kohli in his turban saying a few words through an ineffective loudhailer and leading the crowd round the Walter Scott monument in a rendition of Caledonia. It was almost exclusively a Yes event except for the bloke in full Tartan Army rig-out wearing a No badge, ­arguing stoutly and bravely that you can be Scottish and British as well.

By Thursday evening, the crowds had swollen and the music got louder. By that time I had cast my vote and jumped on a plane to Barcelona and could only watch the scenes on TV and YouTube. My flight to Catalonia was not the despair of a losing Yes voter. I had booked months earlier to be in Barcelona for festival time. It was only when I looked at the date I said to myself: "Thursday, September 18? I'm sure there's something on that day."

I was not sorry to miss the events of Friday evening involving an organised element of Saltire-burning loyalist thugs. But Glasgow's citizens showed they would not be intimidated when, the next day, George Square was transformed into an impromptu collection point for donations to foodbanks.

Margaret Curran MP, shadow Scottish secretary, has announced that she will tour the 10 constituencies with the highest numbers of Labour voters who ignored the party line and voted Yes. She said she wants to acknowledge their "deep disenchantment" and "understand more clearly why they are angry and what we need to do about it. We need to understand why in areas like Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Dundee people feel so let down by our country that they want to opt out entirely". Curran might usefully include George Square in her itinerary.

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont could use the same platform to outline her plans to tackle the "deficit of hope" in Scotland. Tell Yes voters how they can help Labour build a "truly just society where the talents of all can flourish and the talent of none is wasted". She might explain how this will be possible for a nation which, she has said, does not have the DNA to make political decisions. As Lamont stands among heaps of foodbank donations, she might elaborate on her famous theory of Scotland as a something-for-nothing society. And please welcome also Jim Murphy MP, the intellectual soul of Labour, with his arrogance and Irn-Bru roadshow. Maybe bring a poke of chips as well as the bottle of ginger, Jim. Don't worry, we won't supply the eggs.

There will be no shortage of subject matter to be discussed down at Democracy Square. How is Gordon Brown's timetable for extra Scottish powers working out? Will the Yes campaign find life after No? Will Tommy Sheridan really get away with relaunching a career in politics? Will George Galloway wear a hat?

One problem is that the square is not entirely suitable in its present form as a venue for engagement in debate. Architect John McAslan said: "It is unsuitable for this because there are no focal points, no raised areas. It is just a flat field of tarmac and grass with no definition. It does not fulfil the role of civic space where citizens can roam and congregate." McAslan should know, since it was his internationally renowned firm which won the competition to design a new George Square and have the project cancelled by Glasgow City Council even before it began.

He said: "It was part of our plan, although not in the brief from the city council, to incorporate in this civic space some 'speakers' corner' areas where opinions could be expressed." The visuals in John McAslan & Partners' plans for the new square show scenes reminiscent of Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park in London.

McAslan is passionate about George Square, which is hardly surprising since he was born only a stone's throw away. He had the misfortune to be involved in the architectural competition that never was. His firm was among the six on the shortleet of innovative designs. A team of expert judges was assembled, led by Scots architect David Mackay, who is widely respected for his work in Barcelona. But Gordon Matheson, the city council's Labour leader, felt able to interfere in the judging process for the £15 million project. The judges chose the McAslan plan, which was not Matheson's preferred option. Matheson promptly cancelled the grand project and went ahead with a smaller refurbishment in time for the Commonwealth Games.

McAslan believes the recent work was done on the cheap and with little regard for quality. He told me last week: "The decisions and implementation on George Square demonstrate a failure of leadership. The outcome is hopeless and is an insult to the people of Glasgow."

As a footnote, it should be pointed out that Glasgow City Council carried out a "lessons learned" investigation of the George Square shambles. It was conducted by officials from the departments of development and regeneration services, legal services, internal audit and corporate governance. Among the conclusions was: "A focused session devoted to finalising the scoring methodology accompanying the evaluation criteria should be held prior to publication of tender documentation." Among the recommendations on consulting the public: "A Stakeholder Engagement Strategy should be created." My own, possibly cynical, conclusion is that the Labour politicians controlling Glasgow always have and always will do as they please. The last thing they want is a George Square with a speakers' corner where restless natives can express opinions on the political process in the City Chambers and behind other closed doors.

The city fathers do not see the square as a civic space, but as a commercial venture. I went along during the Commonwealth Games to enjoy the atmosphere but there wasn't any because the space was occupied by a huge merchandise superstore leaving little room to mingle with the visitors. At Christmastime, the square is turned into a tacky attempt at seasonal fun with a dodgy-looking helter-skelter, an ice rink to fall down in and a miserable attempt at a German-style Yule market. This space at the heart of Glasgow can be rented for about £1300 a day. It's all about money. We might as well turn it into a food court for McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut and be done with it.

No part of the city is safe from commercialisation. The steps outside the concert hall at the top of Buchanan Street - a little gem of public space where there was also a fair amount of referendum campaign buzz - are soon to disappear. The steps will be replaced by a huge new glass frontage to an extension for the Buchanan Galleries shopping centre. A giant glass structure with a fast food court and a cinema complex will be the backdrop to the statue of Donald Dewar, father of the nation and reminder of real Labour.

Some potted history of George Square. The most momentous event (if you don't count the day Nelson Mandela danced on stage in front of a 10,000-strong crowd after receiving the freedom of the city) was on Friday January 31, 1919. This was the Battle of George Square which broke out during a mass meeting by striking workers in pursuit of a 40-hour week. This reduction from 57 hours was an attempt to spread the work available to men who had returned from the First World War to find themselves unemployed.

There are differing reports of how the fierce fighting erupted. The police said strikers blockaded tramcars; the protestors blamed an unprovoked baton attack by the police and the violent arrest of strike leaders who tried to stop the conflict. The police lost the battle. The Government feared a Bolshevist uprising was taking place and brought in the army. Some 10,000 troops (none from Glasgow) were moved onto the streets. There was artillery in front of the City Chambers, tanks in the square, machine-gun posts on the rooftops. The city was pacified, the strike leaders jailed, and the legend of Red Clydeside began. In 1922, the revolution was at the ballot box when Scotland returned 29 Labour MPs - including three of the strike leaders.

My own connection with George Square dates back to October 1966 when, as a new student at Strathclyde University, I tripped merrily across to the Bank of Scotland to lodge my grant cheque. Yes, in those days not only was tuition free but the state provided us with enough cash to buy books, a duffel coat and a silly long scarf, and go to the beer bar. Shamefully, I never stopped once in the square to thank those working-class heroes who made it possible for me to enjoy a university education.

There is a George Square connection to my very own working-class hero. My father Charles gave a lifetime of service to the Labour Party. As a foot soldier, one of his tasks was to stand for election in Glasgow Corporation wards he was unlikely to win. In a 1974 election, he unaccountably unseated the leader of the Conservative group by two votes and became Councillor Shields. He quickly became appalled at the huge budget for City Chambers wining and dining and argued this money could be better spent helping the less well-off. He spurned the free lunches for councillors and ate his own sandwiches out in George Square. I don't think he would approve of the present state of the Labour Party.

A final bit of history. The square was first created in 1781 when our city merchants and industrialists were thriving because of the British empire. It is bad enough that our civic heart is named after a mad king, but it could have been worse. It could have been called Union Square. Maybe one day it can be renamed Independence Square. In 1781, Britain was fighting and losing a war to stop the American colonies becoming independent. The rebellious colonists fought for their freedom under the banner of "No taxation without representation" - a cry not entirely dissimilar to Scotland's situation, where we send all our money to London and have little representation as to how much pocket money Westminster sends back. It took the American colonies eight years to throw off the shackles. Scotland had victory in our own hands but let it slip through our fingers.