The launch of the People United, a cross-border campaign for Scottish independence, will hopefully inject some positivity into a melancholic movement. It aims to start an international debate about self-determination, not just for Scotland, but for the rest of the UK, Catalonia, the Basque Country and beyond.
independence referendum
Neil Mackay is one of Scotland’s most respected columnists – and one of the most reliably pro-Sturgeon. His scathing assessment of the SNP’s campaign therefore merits attention
Source Direct: An Independence Election?
Five years on from the Brexit vote, everything has been leading to this moment of truth for independence. But that mood of certainty is giving way to frustration and self-doubt. Whisper it, but the Yes bloc is experiencing an identity crisis.
Source Direct: A Yes Slump?
“A new Act of Union… would not only curtail the future of Scottish democracy, but would dismantle Scottish democracy as it currently exists.”
Sean Bell: A new Act of Union would place the law and democracy at odds
I share the anxiety that this unprecedented peacetime crisis of the British state may pass without a firm conclusion. For this reason, I have campaigned for years for an early referendum. But I am also wary of a potentially sadistic dynamic between leadership and base.
Source Direct: Indy Shoegazers
What does Boris Johnson think he’s doing in Scotland? Perhaps he hopes that showing a little gallantry at the coalface can charm our national pants off. But few political leaders are so ill-equipped for a charm offensive.
Source Direct: Johnson’s Jaunt – Kamikaze Unionism?
There is a rumbling debate about the timing of a proposed Scottish independence referendum, highlighted by remarks from Labour’s Keir Starmer and the SNP’s John Swinney.
Source Direct: One More Time
“We will get there – but if you think the next six months are some kind of cakewalk, or that the six months after that are going to be a doddle, you need to think again.”
Robin McAlpine: For independence supporters, the next 12 months will not be a walk in the park
“The means to bring about change and speed up progress here at home in Scotland are already available to each and everyone of us. It’s high time to remind ourselves what they are.”
The Pressure series: Applying pressure in Scotland
“Saying ‘that’s for after independence’ or ‘just tell them we’ll be using money’ or ‘look at all these other countries’ is exactly how we lose again. Try it out for yourself if you can stand the humiliation.”