FROM soundings across the Yes movement, it is clear that people have taken the responsible attitude and cancelled or postponed virtually all public-facing campaigning for the foreseeable future.
In line with that feeling, the Yes DIY page will no longer be promoting individual events by groups that could involve even small gatherings. By all means tell us what your group is up to, but please don’t expect us to go against Government advice and the overwhelming attitude of the Yes movement.
To put it bluntly, the actual work of campaigning out on the street, as you might describe it, has to be temporarily suspended. By all means try switching to social media, but we know there is no substitute for campaigning face-to-face, and that activity has to cease just now.
READ MORE: Yes DIY: Pro-indy groups agree to pause campaigns
What we are going to do at The National is a unique experiment that only a newspaper like ours could do. Remember, too, that we are the only daily and Sunday newspapers that support independence, so you won’t read about the Yes movement anywhere else – which is why there are going to be a lot of Scots surprised at the ‘Yes’ outcome of the next independence referendum, not to mention a few political editors out of a job, we hope.
Over the next few weeks we will be asking Yes groups to tell us what they want to see in the next independence referendum campaign, and we’ll also be asking for your thoughts on the way ahead for Yes.
E-mail us on community@thenational.scot to take part.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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