Latest news with #SummerConventiononScotland'sFuture
The National
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
It's not enough for SNP to occasionally say ‘independence'
Moving from local to national, there was a call for a constitutional convention from Councillor Murray in The National on Saturday. On the same day in the same paper, Gordon Macintyre-Kemp (Believe in Scotland) called for a new national conversation through a citizens convention. Independence Forum Scotland's Summer Convention on Scotland's Future will take place in Perth this Saturday. It will be their second this year. The grassroots took root, sheltered immediately after 2014, and the movement well continued. And thank (supply your own deity or whatever) for that. It's still the same message from across that movement: independence. It's sad, then, that political parties such as the SNP haven't moved on in tandem with us. The independence message has been diluted, and looking at the most recent rejection last week, it's more a case that the message was missing, again. John Swinney is quoted after the latest failure as saying: 'I thought the SNP was best placed to see off Reform because of the scale of collapse in the Labour vote.' Is it too much to believe (as I have done til now) that the SNP would see off Reform and the other pro-Unionist parties not by asking for a vote just to keep someone else out, but with their laid-out vision for independence? It is their raison d'etre after all. Not heart before head, but by taking the abstract notion of independence and translating that into the positive. It's not enough for the SNP to occasionally say 'independence' like some now tired mantra. Or expect me to click my heels and wish, Dorothy-like. Where is the plan, the strategy, the tactics? Where, when are we reminded of the changes to date that have had a positive impact? The likes of additional child payments, free bus passes, achieved through our government, our parliament, albeit hamstrung via the clever trap that is devolution. Where, when is the current highway robbery situation explained, as energy flows out of Scotland only to be returned at an increased cost to households? Westminster seems to have imposed a tariff on Scotland, having robbed us first! I think even Trump would be impressed with that one! There's no room to say that as this was a local election, indy shouldn't feature. These are all 'local' issues across the 'nation'; indy should always feature. Then to all politicians who say they believe in independence: you need to be connected with the grassroots movement, you have to heed what we say, see what we're doing, realise the strength, the numbers. You need to be prepared to tell folks if it's change you want, then change you'll get with independence, and here's how, here's the plan. The clock is ticking down to 2026. Selma Rahman Edinburgh WHY oh why can't we have simple literature telling the general public that with INDEPENDENCE we will be THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS and THIS better off and rid of THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS and THIS from Westminster that is making us worse off? Ken McCartney Hawick
The National
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
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 We'll also be happy to answer any questions you may have – just email us at convention@ See you in Perth!
