We have never been all under one banner. The Yes movement has previously gathered under a confusing profusion of banners. Increasing factionalism has weakened the movement. Division and dilution and diversion and distraction have rendered us ineffectual. The evidence for this is that we have had no effect. Approaching seven years on from the first constitutional referendum and Scotland’s cause is no further forward.
It is easy to blame the SNP for this. But the Yes movement must accept some responsibility. Only when we accept our own part in this failure will we recognise our failings. Only when we recognise our failings will we be able to rectify them.
If the Yes movement is to march march under one banner it must be a banner that everybody is prepared to march under. It must be a banner which concisely expresses our common cause. It must be a banner which purposefully excludes all subsidiary causes. Causes which, forgivably in most cases, seek to hitch a ride on the cause of restoring Scotland’s independence and in doing so hamper and hinder that cause.
We demand nothing of the British state because the British state has nothing to give and nothing we want. Only our democratically elected Scottish Government has the rightful authority to act on behalf of the people of Scotland. Only the democratically elected Scottish Parliament can legitimately speak for Scotland.
The Yes movement has one demand. We can express this demand in two ways. If we are to gather under one banner, it must be a banner which addresses Scotland’s entire political establishment. There is only one thing the Yes movement as a whole has to say to our political leaders. We instruct them immediately to initiate the process by which Scotland’s rightful constitutional status will be restored
The banners under which we gather must carry this message and no other.
WE DEMAND THAT THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ACT TO END THE UNION.
WE DEMAND THAT THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT SPEAK FOR
THE CAUSE OF RESTORING SCOTLAND’S INDEPENDENCE.
Peter A Bell 
Peter, what are you’re thoughts on the effectiveness of All Under One Banner? That seemed successful in presenting a common cause with groups still able to express different identities. It appeared great at developing the sentiment but politically it probably does not deliver much. Still a useful way of getting people sort of on the same page though.
Also a major roadblock to this would appear to be the desire of the SNP that they are the sole gatekeeper and gateway to independence. This is not a criticism of them per se but it does stymie the unified approach quite a bit.
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I am a huge admirer of AUOB and the people who run it. They do incredible work. The problem is that the diversity embraced by the Yes movement is lethal to the Yes campaign, where that diversity becomes division. A choice must be made. Are we a movement? Or are we a campaign? We cannot be both. Although obviously people can be part of both, they must recognise where one ends and the other begins. They absolutely cannot bring the dversity of the movement into the campaign. If they try, it ceases to be a campaign.
Your second paragraph nicely demonstrates one of the great misunderstandings of the independence movement. The SNP is not the “sole gatekeeper and gateway to independence” and doesn’t pretend to be. It absolutely IS the sole source of effective political power available to the independence movement. It is in attempting to make this point that the SNP is misunderstood on the way you exemplify.
This misunderstand is, of course, encouraged by opponents of both the party and the movement. It is a highly destructive misunderstanding. A potent weapon in the hands of those who would sow division. For years I have been stressing how important it is that all the elements of the independence project understand their own role and the roles of the other elements. I knew this would get more difficult as time went on and the seeds of division germinated and took root. Hence the #Referendum2018 campaign. I fear it may now be too late.
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Your response to Stuart indicates your bias and total allegiance to the SNP irrespective of their BLATANT irresponsible actions and attitude to independence , their lies and unfulfilled promises which have not materialised in 6 years admittedly which you have called them out on repeatedly recently
But your assertion and demand that ” It absolutely IS the sole source of effective political power available to the independence movement.” is ONLY because there has been no other political party formed which had the ability to challenge the SNP for their crown or to force them to work in partnership for the common goal , THAT has been a massive mistake by the YES community which has allowed Sturgeon and her sycophants to claim ownership of Scotland’s independence and has created the division of Sturgeon sycophants and genuine independence supporters of ALL political persuasions
Hopefully the creation of ALBA will force Sturgeon and her idolising worshippers to realise that they DO NOT own the independence cause and that Scotland’s independence belongs to ALL of us not just SNP adherents
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I am not a member of the SNP. And, as those who know at least a little whereof they speak will be fully aware, I have been one of the SNP’s strongest critics for some time. You haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, Twat Hat.
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Your response to my comment is a get out , you only recently surrendered your membership and prior to your awakening you were one of the most idolators of Sturgeon and the SNP , you point blank REFUSED to engage with anything to do with the HCB or the GRA only admitting later that it was a mistake. The reason Sturgeon has felt untouchable is due to people like you in the SNP giving her that impression and power by suppressing any and all dissent as being the work of unionists or traitors to the cause . The SNP fawning apologist members are to BLAME for the current situation our country is in by giving her celebrity status and untrammeled power. I posted on this site and many others begging SNP members to take back control of their party but the adoration of the sainted one took precedence
I proposed a declaration form to be downloaded , signed and dated by the individual and posted to Sturgeon stating that unless she sidelined the HCB and GRA and categorically and publicly declared that the HR election would be a plebiscite election the individual signing the form would NOT VOTE SNP , my proposal was deemed unworkable on some sites and denigrated on others , now lo and behold we have a narcissistic psychopath with a further 5 years to destroy our independence dreams
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And PS I note you never actually responded to my comment re additional parties FORCING or CHALLENGING the snp for their crown or working in partnership
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The problem is that you are trying to unite the independence movement under one banner and demanding the start of independence negotiations, but you are completely ignoring the need to persuade the rest of the population.
Two thirds of the electorate voted and among them it was basically 50-50 for pro and anti independence parties.
Thats not a mandate to start negotiations and it’s a dangerous place to start demanding a vote.
If Boris offered a referendum in the next 12 months the result would be the same as 2014 and that would be an end to independence campaigning for decades.
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Where did I demand “the start of independence negotiations”? That’s an Alba Party line. You are confused.
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You are correct, I am confused. What does “WE DEMAND THAT THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ACT TO END THE UNION” mean if its not starting independence negotiations?
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I take it you haven’t read the #ManifestoForIndependence.
● Repudiate the Section 30 process as an illegitimate constraint on Scotland’s right of self-determination
● Assert the primacy of the Scottish Parliament on the basis of its democratic legitimacy and the sovereignty of Scotland’s people
● Recall Scotland’s Members of Parliament from Westminster to sit on a National Convention with Members of the Scottish Parliament and such representatives of civic society as are deemed appropriate by the Scottish Parliament for the purpose of overseeing the drafting of a Constitution for Scotland
● Propose dissolution of the Union with England subject to approval by the Scottish Parliament and ratification by the people of Scotland in a referendum
● Hold referendum on the question of the Union under the auspices of the Scottish Parliament and subject to oversight and management by the National Convention and such bodies as may be appointed by the Scottish Parliament
#ManifestoForIndependence
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Regards anti Independence Parties, it is well known, many in Labour want Independence.
So to say the results from Thursday are evenly 50-50 for Independence based on that outcome, is a false one.
And actually, the pro Independence groups got over 51 percent in the Regional Votes at least.
We haven’t seen those figures ever before, and yet much of it was wasted.
The great, great pity being, that over one million SNP List votes counted for absolutely nothing!
We saw the anti Scottish groups vote become quite interchangeable, between tory, Labour and Libs.
In some cases as it was in some recent UK General Elections, the Libs voted in a block for the tories.
But we saw the same of Labour voters too.
And in other places, it was as in Edinburgh South, tories voting for Labour. They did so in Dumbarton.
But SNP insisted on both votes SNP, and they got all of 2 List MSPs out of it.
We could have had those wasted votes put to good use, and if we did, there would not be 31 tories, and 22 Labour MSPs today.
How can it be an acceptable voting system, that see near to 50 percent of the vote get zero elected MSPs, yet those on half that get 3 and 2 MSPs?
I’d say it was the SNP Leadership that failed us, not the wider YES movement.
What else could YES folks do, but to vote?
I wonder how else they could do something that helps us.
The fact is, we rely on the elected politicians.
And if they fail us, and they obviously have, it doesn’t leave us anywhere to go, but to look to others.
Alas, I was bitterly, bitterly disappointed that ALBA got nowhere.
I really hoped the anti Salmond Media spin would be ignored by the voters.
But as I say above, senior SNP figures, and that includes the First Minister, went on the warpath against Salmond.
They didn’t seem to mind the Greens, however, who were out to take votes from SNP, and with the Greens that meant standing in constituencies for some unknown reason, and yet, they still remained as best pals with SNP.
So why not with ALBA?
Then we had the Media blackout against ALBA, as the Establishment feared him.
That said, perhaps it was a mistake of Salmond to talk about his super majority and his “instructions” to SNP Government to demand Independence.
But had we 8, or so ALBA MSPs, this country would have been in a far better position than it is right now, with Douglas Ross attempting to claim a victory that never was.
And we have Labour also talking up their status, and even after getting 2 MSPs less, and all their own brave talk, and hopes out overtaking the tories. And especially in view of the dire Labour results in England.
It is a very,disappointing outcome.
And many will have voted SNP maybe for the last time.
We had absolutely no choice on Thursday, but we are unlikely to give them that chance again.
Actually, many simply won’t, not unless SNP now push forcefully for Independence.
We will have to wait and see what happens now.
But one can’t help be bitter by everything.
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Sturgeon and her loyalists have destroyed the Yes movement over the last year. We were all fighting like ferrets in a sack before Alba launched, however much the leadership pretend otherwise. I actually saw SNP supporters telling AUOB that they wouldn’t support them because they “were Alba”, despite AUOB not taking any position over who to vote for on Thursday.
The mixture of triumphalism and disdain for ordinary grassroots independence campaigners on twitter last night was genuinely upsetting.
And they actually had the audacity to run the Yes.Scot advert on twitter yesterday, as though the dogs in the street don’t know all our contributions have disappeared. At least that must mean the membership purge can’t go ahead, because they need all the subs they can get.
I wasn’t as depressed as this on 19th September 2014, because then we had a united grassroots movement. The SNP leadership have seen an end to that.
However, there are now as many former SNP members as there are members. They know something is rotten. Some of the most committed, longterm SNP members I know are among their numbers. Some are lost forever to campaigning, but others have become active in other organisations.
And once I stop crying, I might be able to get involved in those organisations myself.
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Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
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