If nothing else substantial happens in 2017 in Scotland in the cause of independence one thing surely must, the Yes Campaign must get itself structured and organised. January sees a conference coming up of the Scottish Independence Convention geared at taking the temperature of various key stakeholders and looking at strategies to go forward. It has been said by many, we don’t need there to be a referendum date set, or a No campaign in existence (although the fly gits are quietly gearing up funding in preparation) for a Yes Campaign to operate, and promote the benefits of self-government. Indeed, if we are to continue to bed in the idea amongst our fellow Scots that self–determination for nation states is actually the norm ( like the rest of the world) it is important that it does exist, and that it is high profile.
Here’s a couple of suggestions for how a future Yes Campaign might want to operate differently to the version 1 variety of 2014, now that we’ve all learned a wee bit about how these things work.
Don’t do the passive positive thing this time. We’ve all heard the strategies around about negative and positive campaigns, and how that’s all panned out in the past. Forget all that. This time dump it. In 2013 and 2014 the people of Scotland were subjected to the biggest load of falsified shite that was ever created in an unrelenting onslaught of lies, half-truths, spun nonsense, threats, false promises, attempts to humiliate and single out, and community bribery, in fact the British state employed any scam they could think of to ensure that Scotland did not become an independent state.
This time the Yes Campaign needs to set up a room somewhere staffed with good people, people with a similar type of inquisitive and enquiring mind as the likes of Stuart Campbell, a team whose job will be to dissect every farcical spun unionist scare story that comes out of the British states’ trusty broadcasting and written media about Scotland and rebut, preferably the same day, and with extreme prejudice. To guarantee that this is effective funding will need to be found to ensure that the message actually gets out as widely as possible, whether that be through supporting and enhancing the National or online. The Scottish public won’t be long picking up the scent of who’s making mischief, and who isn’t. After all you only have to look at the fact that the SNP are still in government, and hold almost every Scottish constituency seat at Westminster, despite daily attempts by the media to undermine anything they do, to see that many Scots are already aware that they are treated like mushrooms by the UK establishment.
The sooner this type of responsive campaign starts the better, and definitely doesn’t need a referendum on the go to implement. All it needs is funding, and if a Yes Board get themselves organised and make a proposal I’m absolutely certain the grassroots movement will put their hands in their pockets to fund it.
Also this time please don’t go with the passive “the UK’s okay but independence is better” theme. Scrap that. We love oor grannies in Newcastle and aunties and uncles in London, we always will, but we want to leave the United Kingdom. We want to leap off the broad shoulders, never to return. We need to tell our peers why we want to leave, and what is wrong with the UK. The opposition daily try to tell us that we would be a third world country without them, that if we stayed in the EU without them they’d take their ball back and not let us trade with them, that we are of no consequence because they managed to con a majority into voting no the last time. They have no conscience, they have no scruples, therefore pay them no respect, get intae them, but in a smart way. Maintain dignity and balance. Be informative. The truth will out. We’ll win that way.
Oh, and for the Scottish Government, get the currency thing sorted, whether it comes from the Growth Commission or the Common Weal, or otherwise. Take a decision, make a proposal, and stand by it. We’ll back you. But make sure that proposal does not involve us having to rely on the goodwill of London, because we’re not going to get that.
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