Here's what's on the agenda at our next independence convention
Independence Forum Scotland is fast approaching its Summer Convention on Scotland's Future, which will be at the Salutation Hotel in Perth on Saturday, June 14.
It's our second such gathering, coming hard on the heels of the inaugural Edinburgh event in March, which was widely regarded as a success.
There's still room for improvement, of course, and making sure that the June convention reaches and surpasses those standards has been at the forefront of the planning committee's thinking over the last few weeks.
To guide us, we've had some excellent feedback from the Edinburgh participants, some of whom will be joining us again.
READ MORE: Anas Sarwar refuses to say if he supports RAF surveillance flights over Gaza
They've set out a wide range of topics they'd like to see covered there and in future meetings. We've had valuable suggestions on logistical aspects of the day, such as clarity of messaging, audibility in a crowded space and having a variety of approaches to topics.
We expect that those attending the Summer Convention, whether they're returning or taking part for the first time, will see the benefits of that advice.
Our programme will be more streamlined than in March, with a slightly shorter day and more in-depth focus on fewer topics.
Crucially, there will be more opportunities for attendees to have group discussions at their various tables, with a view to capturing as diverse a range of views as possible.
The opening session of the day will be a discussion led by Stuart McHardy and Roger Emmerson, on what it is to be a Scot today – wherever you were born. We hope it'll prove to be a great ice-breaker to get people thinking and talking.
We'll then have presentations to update us on the three areas discussed back in March – land, energy and democracy – including a forward strategy paper compiled by our colleagues Energy Scotland, which you may already have read about in The National.
It will include a call to the Scottish Government to support the formation of a group of Scotland's energy professionals to undertake a 'watching brief' on the progress and plans of the various UK Government agencies involved in implementing UK energy policy and governance in Scotland, including Ofgem and GB Energy.
The afternoon will be devoted to an in-depth discussion of poverty and the wellbeing economy, with an introductory video by William Thomson of Scotonomics and contributions from Common Weal head of policy Craig Dalzell, lawyer and activist Eva Comrie and others.
It's a huge topic, and it would be unrealistic to expect a single afternoon's airing to be able to do more than scratch the surface of it.
However, if convention participants emerge from the discussion more informed about the overall issues, the currently available policy options and the more radical solutions to which Scotland might aspire, that will be a job well done.
The wellbeing economy, in particular, is a term that frequently arises in the context of independence campaigning, but is often understood in fairly vague terms.
In 2022, the Wellbeing Economy Alliance came up with a 'headline' definition: 'A wellbeing economy is an economy designed to serve people and planet, not the other way around.'
However, there's still room for differing views on the changes required to create such an economy.
For example, would it be a slow transition or a rapid transformation? Could we keep the best bits of capitalism and refocus our growth efforts? Would the role of markets have less priority? Or would we be looking at a completely new paradigm?
We can expect some lively conversations at each of the tables, and in the panel discussion and Q&A with which we'll round off the topic.
Does all of that pique your interest? If so, we'd be delighted if you could join us in Perth on June 14. Attendance at the Summer Convention is free but booking is essential.
There are still spaces available, although they're filling up fairly rapidly, so if you're planning to reserve a spot we'd encourage you to do so sooner rather than later.
There's a link to an online booking form on the 'National Convention' page of Independence Forum Scotland's website independenceforum.scot/national-convention
We'll also be happy to answer any questions you may have – just email us at convention@independenceforum.scot
See you in Perth!
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'The way I saw it was the Labour vote was collapsing compared to the general election last summer, which it did, it was down 20%. We saw the Reform vote surging, which it has. 'And in that context, I thought the SNP was best placed to see off Reform because of the scale of collapse in the Labour vote.' The SNP's campaign chief Jamie Hepburn also reacted to his party's by-election loss, addressing the lack of focus on independence during the campaign. MSP Hepburn, who previously served as Scotland's first independence minister before First Minister John Swinney scrapped the role last year, said that when looking towards the 2026 election, "I think when we get into that context, people will be thinking differently and independence will be part of that campaign." Hepburn added: "We'll need to consider the proposition that we've laid out at this by-election, and how that may influence the propositions we lay out at the coming general election next year that we know is ahead of us. "It's just the morning after the night before, so we'll take some time to consider that."
