Saturday's march and rally was an exercise in nostalgia, harking back to and seeking to revivify a campaign from the past. That campaign belongs in the past. We have to move on. We must have a campaign that is relevant to the situation that exists now.
Think what you would like the march to look like. Now consider that it can't look like that unless you're there.
Notes for speech Check against delivery I'm not quite sure why I'm here. Usually, for events like this, they want speakers who'll tell the crowd what they want to hear. That's certainly not me. I tell it the way I see it - good or bad. Right now, there's more bad than good. They usually … Continue reading AUOB March & Rally Glasgow 26/11/2022
Neil Mackay appears to be convinced that "there is a clear commitment to a referendum taking place next year". (Scottish independence march to be held in Paisley as AUOB unveil spring plans) In this he is far from alone a large part of what used to be the Yes movement seems similarly persuaded. Although this … Continue reading Speakers and what they say
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.
Scotland's cause needs the SNP. That's just cold, hard realpolitik denied only by self-indulgent fantasists. But if we need the SNP we need the SNP to be fit for our purpose. That it presently isn't is all to apparent. In part because of its reluctance to make the commitment required of it ahead of the 2021 Scottish Party election. Partly on account of the party's internal troubles. While the former is a matter for the Yes movement as a whole, the latter is entirely a matter for SNP members.
My instincts have been to steer clear of the current stooshie around AUOB. But here I am, succumbing to the temptation to offer my thoughts. What could possibly go wrong? The organisation problem Yes is a diverse, open, inclusive, unstructured popular movement. It is NOT an organisation. That is as it should be. That is … Continue reading All Under One Banner (Update)
Others (here and here, for example) have dealt more than adequately with the whingers and naysayers in the Yes movement who have been echoing Unionist negativity about the latest in a series of marches organised by All Under One Banner (AUOB). I have little to add. But I would like to give a personal perspective, … Continue reading Dumfries: What was that all about?
I'll be heading for Dumfries tomorrow (Friday 1 June) to take part in the All Under One Banner march on Saturday 2 June. I want to be there in plenty of time to fully enjoy what I know will be a wonderful atmosphere. But the main reason for travelling on Friday and staying overnight is … Continue reading YES! Open to all!
When I took to the stage at Glasgow Green after the magnificent All Under One Banner march from Kelvingrove Park on Saturday, I spoke without notes. The following is partly a transcript of my address based on Martin Hannan's report in The National, and partly the speech I would like to have made. Little of … Continue reading Will you stand?
Peter A Bell 