THE leaders of a cross-party Yes organisation have called for activists to build support for independence as they conceded “the prospect of a referendum in 2020 looks extremely unlikely”.
In a joint statement, Maggie Chapman, convenor of the Scottish Independence Convention (SIC), and Iain Black, vice-convenor of the SIC, said there was a growing frustration in the Yes movement over how to increase backing for self-determination.
They urged people to get involved with a SIC initiative, Voices for Scotland, which encourages members to speak to undecided voters to persuade them to back the independence cause.
Their intervention follows the Prime Minister’s rejection last week of Nicola Sturgeon’s request for powers to be transferred to Holyrood to hold a new legally-binding referendum.
At the weekend leading independence campaigners backed calls for a “new Yes Scotland organisation” to take “some of the strain and daily focus away from the Scottish Government”.
READ MORE: Busy time ahead for grassroots Yes groups all over
The initial plea for a new body came from the SNP’s former strategic communications chief, Kevin Pringle, who called on the “entire Yes movement to make the case for independence unassailable”.
Responding to the intervention Chapman and Black said: “In the wake of the Prime Minister’s refusal to transfer the power to hold referenda to Holyrood, there’s a growing frustration amongst many in the Yes movement about how we can best build the case for independence now as the prospect of a referendum in 2020 looks extremely unlikely. It is therefore no surprise that calls from indy supporters for a new Yes campaign are growing louder.”
They added: “Voices for Scotland is the organisation and campaign that satisfies that thirst for action. Set up in 2019 by the Scottish Independence Convention (which includes the SNP, Scottish Green Party, Women for Independece, Business for Scotland and many other groups), Voices for Scotland (voicesforscotland.scot) is a non-party, civic organisation that aims to facilitate big conversations about Scotland’s future and grow support for independence.
“Voices aims to grow support for independence by speaking to the indy-curious, the undecided and those not currently engaged with the constitutional question of Scottish sovereignty.
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“We need to start now so that when a referendum does come, the public is informed, involved and is confident about supporting independence for Scotland. Based on an internationally successful campaign model, Voices is a decentralised, highly local campaign with inclusive, respectful conversation at the heart of what we do.”
They added: “If you are looking for a new independence campaign that will grow support for the movement, then look no further than Voices for Scotland. Together, we can create a Scotland for everyone.”
Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens will use Brexit day – next Friday – to launch a new campaign for independence. The party is planning to mark the event with a rally in Glasgow, where it will make clear an independent Scotland should be part of the EU.
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