SNP parliamentarians have welcomed the launch of the party’s biggest-ever “listening exercise” in its history as the Yes movement prepares for a new push on independence.
More than 100 MSPs, MPs and MEPs gathered in Stirling to hear Nicola Sturgeon unveil a “national conversation” with the goal of speaking to two million voters north of the Border before St Andrew’s Day on 30 November.
Tommy Sheppard, the Edinburgh East MP, and a contender for the depute leader, told The National: “I think it is an excellent initiative. This will enable us to speak to people and critically to calibrate any change in opinion about how people voted in 2014, and how they voted in the EU referendum.
“We will be able to know what movement there is.”
As part of the ambitious plan, originally planned as a summer independence push but delayed because of the changing political circumstances following the Brexit vote, the SNP has set up a dedicated website to gauge opinion on Europe, Brexit and independence.
And in the most significant mass mobilisation of the party’s hugely expanded membership since September 2014, the First Minister said each one of the SNP’s 120,000 members would be sent a pack of survey cards, and would be asked to commit to completing the survey with at least five people each month for the next three months.
Likewise, she asked the audience of parliamentarians to hold at least one town hall event each to engage directly with their constituents.
In addition to this, Sturgeon announced the SNP would establish a party Growth Commission, which will look at the prospects for Scotland’s economy and also consider key matters such as currency and reducing the fiscal deficit.
While she accepted that opting to leave the UK “would be a big decision”, the First Minister said: “I believe it is right that our party does now lead a new conversation on independence.”
The Growth Commission will be chaired by former MSP, Andrew Wilson. It will include our Finance Secretary Derek MacKay. The party’s Westminster Group will be represented by Roger Mullin MP and its Holyrood Group by Kate Forbes MSP.
The full membership of the Commission, which will be published alongside its remit in the next two weeks, will draw on a range of economic, academic and business expertise.
Responding to the First Minister’s speech secretary of state for Scotland David Mundell said: “The last thing Scotland needs is another drawn out debate on independence.”
You can take part in the National Survey at www.survey2016.scot.
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