INDEPENDENCE and next year’s council elections will be the key themes in the SNP’s forthcoming conference with resolutions for debate open to members, The National can reveal.
The party is committed to accepting motions from the grassroots after a backlash from members last November when numerous draft resolutions from individual branches were converted into a small number of composite motions by the SNP’s conference committee.
Some groups were angry that efforts made in drawing up the resolutions were wasted after motions were widely ignored.
They included proposals for debate on a timetable to remove Trident after independence and two separate motions on the so-called Plan B route to independence, one put forward by Angus MacNeil and Chris McEleny (who has since defected to Alba) and one by the SNP’s Common Weal Group.
A note following a meeting on Saturday of the party’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, reads: “Resolutions from members and NEC will form part of the programme.
“Independence and planning for the forthcoming council elections will be key issues.”
According to the note, the NEC also discussed last Saturday the roles of the party and its grassroots members in “winning” a future independence referendum.
As The National revealed last week, the party’s national executive committee (NEC) was to be updated on work getting under way on a future campaign by the party’s president Michael Russell.
READ MORE: Michael Russell to update SNP NEC on independence campaign drive
The former constitution affairs secretary, who stood down from Holyrood ahead of the May elections, has been appointed to the role of political director of the SNP’s independence unit tasked with firing up the Yes campaign.
Ahead of the NEC meeting on Saturday, the party published a new eight-page leaflet – penned by Russell – on the Yes.scot website consolidating the arguments for independence in the context of the pandemic and Brexit.
A note on the NEC discussions, seen by The National, says: “The National Executive Committee discussed the work already under way and the planning of future work in relation to the independence referendum, including current and future campaign activity, and the role of the party and members in moving towards a referendum and then winning that referendum.”
It added that the NEC discussed next year’s council elections, including receiving an update on applications submitted from potential candidates, the selection processes, and ensuring equality as a key focus.
The note added that planning for the party’s virtual September conference, which will take place between September 10 and September 13, is under way.
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