TODAY, The National is teaming up with Believe in Scotland to launch the biggest campaign for Scottish independence since 2014.
The “Yes Challenge” is set to take place over the next three months, and aims to convert as many undecided voters as possible to independence.
The new initiative has been described as a potential “gamechanger” as we head into the year that could define our country’s future.
Support for independence has been recorded as high as 58%, and 20 polls in a row have now shown that a majority of Scots would vote Yes in a second indyref.
May’s Holyrood election is also shaping up to be the biggest and most important in modern history, with a showdown looming between the governments in Holyrood and Westminster, should pro-independence parties win a majority of seats.
Into that background, today we launch the Yes Challenge.
READ MORE: This is the SNP’s routemap to a Scottish independence referendum in full
First of all, we are asking every single one of our readers and subscribers to sign up to the Yes Challenge pledge at yeschallenge.scot.
Believe in Scotland will also ask its members and readers to participate and challenge all of its local Yes Group partners to do the same.
Then, we want you to think of somebody you know – it could be a friend, family member or work colleague – who is on the fence when it comes to indyref2.
Maybe somebody who likes the idea of independence but has worries about how it would work, someone influenced by scaremongering or who just hasn’t grasped what independence is all about and the benefits it will bring.
READ MORE: Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp: We’ll explain the merits of Yes to your undecided voters
We are not looking for rock solid Unionists to try to win over but those that you feel would come our way if they had the right information and had their questions answered.
Over the course of 12 weeks, we will take up the challenge of converting that person to independence.
To do that, we will send you a unique code which will give your undecided voter 12 weeks’ free access to The National and take them on their own personal journey to Yes – which we’re calling “Open Minds to Independence”.
Unique codes will be sent to everybody who signs the Yes Challenge pledge, as well as existing subscribers, and they will also be printed on every single copy of the paper next Friday Feb 5 – so if you know of multiple people who could be tempted to vote Yes, then simply pick up a couple of extra copies.
Once your undecided voter signs up (no card details required), not only will they have access to all of our usual news stories, columnists, fact-checks and features, but we’ll also directly send them a new series of 24 articles, written by Believe in Scotland, which will make the case for independence step by step.
The articles will highlight the democratic deficit in the UK, dispel the myths of the Union, tell the truth about Brexit, and talk up the potential of independence.
On top of that, we’re going to host virtual events exclusively for undecided voters – a safe space in which they can ask questions of real experts who can answer any fears or queries about the case for Yes.
Over the course of our campaign, we’re aiming for:
- 5000 people to sign the Yes Challenge pledge.
- 2000 undecided voters to participate in the Open Minds to Independence journey.
- 1000 confirmed new Yes voters after 12 weeks.
- 200 “No to Yes” conversion testimonials to share via print and social media.
But we’re confident that we can smash all of these numbers – if everybody gets behind us.
READ MORE: SNP unveils plan to hold indyref2 – even if Boris Johnson says no
At the end of the process, we will convert the 24 articles into a supplement which will be distributed again in the paper as a second opportunity to reach undecideds.
Should we be able to raise the funds, we also want to distribute 500,000 copies of the material and post them through targeted letterboxes all across Scotland.
Callum Baird, Editor of The National, said: “Everything we’ve ever done with The National has been building up to this moment – when we can use our influence and leverage to actually target undecided voters and bring them round to Yes.
“We’re asking every independence supporter in Scotland to sign the Yes Challenge pledge and get behind our campaign.
“Support for Yes is nearly at the magical 60% mark – and one big push over the next few months could get us there just in time for the election.
“Think about who you want to nominate. It’s time Scots woke up to the realities of life with Westminster in charge – and that’s what this campaign will highlight.”
READ MORE: This is why The National's new Yes Challenge is a gamechanger for independence
Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp of Believe in Scotland said: “We all have at least one friend whose heart says Yes but their head isn’t yet convinced, that’s who we want you to connect us with, someone that is open to the idea of independence but still on the fence.
“We will engage them, listen and answer their questions, then hopefully put their heads in touch with their hearts by sharing the evidence that shows why independence is the right path.
“We can’t win by talking amongst ourselves and this Yes Challenge is the single biggest independence campaigning initiative for years. We hope our Yes family will help us engage people outside of the Yes community.”
Sign up to the Yes Challenge pledge at yeschallenge.scot.
* The National recently hit 11,000 digital subscribers. Every single subscriber who signs up means we can better make the case for independence. Join us today at www.thenational.scot/subscribe
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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