A WHOLE season of marches and rallies for independence has been lost to the coronavirus pandemic, but activists are determined to end the year with a different sort of people’s gathering.

Perhaps taking a leaf out of president-elect Joe Biden’s book, who did rather well with the tactic, the Scottish Independence Movement is switching to car-based gatherings.

An SIM spokesman said: “We miss the days of campaigning here at SIM. We miss the marching, the singing, and meeting wonderful people the length and breadth of Scotland. Most of all though, we miss making Scotland’s voice heard.

“The struggle for independence has undoubtedly been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and although in recent weeks we’ve witnessed a boom in support for the Yes campaign, the team here at SIM passionately believe that we should continue to make a positive case for independence and show our disdain for the Westminster Government’s subjugation of Scotland.

“This week we were due to officially announce our nationwide cavalcade to the capital, a Covid-19 proof event on November 21 that would allow us to have one last show of support for independence before the end of what can only be dubbed a write-off of a year. However, last week there were significant changes in how the Scottish Government has decided to address the growing number of cases, causing us to begin a review process of our current plans.

“First and foremost, let us make it clear that our activists’ safety is paramount and we will comply with any and all restrictions to ensure we beat this virus together. That being said, we are in very close contact with the relevant authorities to assess the possibility of our event going ahead as planned.

“If we get approval, we will be setting off from various locations across the country to meet up in Glasgow where we will then join up in our cars and make our way to Edinburgh, covering the Central Belt in Saltires.

“In Edinburgh, we would then stream a collection of speeches, songs and poems from our line-up of fantastic indy speakers on Facebook and through our communication channels on Zello before safely returning home.

“Please note, we would require attendees to stay in their vehicles at all times to ensure no possible transmissions of Covid-19.

“If however, we do not get approval to run the cavalcade to the capital as planned, we will instead be arranging local cavalcades which will once again allow us to make our voices heard, while remaining within our own communities. We will be clarifying how the events will be run by November 13 and the final decision will be made on November 16 in accordance with Scottish Government weekly guidelines.