“Lesley Riddoch’s piece in the National on Thursday 18 April, “Division within the Yes movement isn’t helping anyone”, fails to address what is actually causing this division. Lesley’s first substantive point highlights the fact that “two separate Yes organisations are marching for independence a fortnight apart in the same city”. Lesley sees this situation as preposterous, and I quite agree. But, Lesley fails to shed any light whatsoever on the detail of the situation, giving the impression that the two organisations, All Under One Banner (AUOB) and Believe in Scotland (BIS), are equally at fault. I would like to assure readers of the National that this is most certainly not the case.
AUOB has held marches for independence across Scotland for the last ten years, with this year’s Glasgow march being the 40th that we will have organised since 2014. Every year on the first Saturday of May we march in Glasgow, and the following year’s march dates and locations are announced in the preceding autumn. As such BIS were fully aware that AUOB intended marching in Glasgow on 4th May. Indeed, any reasonable observer might conclude that the BIS march at Glasgow on 20th April was actually scheduled so as to, quite literally, steal a march on AUOB, and to impact the attendance at Glasgow Green on 4th May.
Whilst BIS seem to have no reservation in shamelessly copying AUOB’s marching format in significant ways, they are very different from us in other regards. Whilst BIS appear intent on representing a top-down, ‘official’ version of the Yes movement, AUOB represents the peoples movement, and whilst BIS is party politically aligned and exclusive, AUOB is non party political and inclusive. Business for Scotland (BFS) ought to have stuck to their original remit, and what they do best; liaising with Scotland’s business community to bring them onside whilst carrying out important research and campaigning – but this is clearly insufficient for the guiding lights of BIS, who, instead, seem intent on an ultimately destructive act of ‘empire building’ that will only succeed in sowing further divisions within the indy movement.
Under these circumstances, Lesley Riddoch’s appeal for “political parties and movement organisers to pull together” rings very hollow, and particularly so when she inexplicably fails to state the real facts of the situation, facts she MUST be aware of. Indeed, this failure means she is effectively, if unwittingly, stoking division within the Yes movement, even as she talks of unity, in much the same way as the organisers of Saturday’s BIS march are doing; talking up unity as she ignores the fact that important voices within the indy movement committed to fighting Westmonster’s colonial drive are being excluded and cancelled, and that many committed indy supporters see Saturday’s BIS march as being more about devolution than independence.
We at AUOB are for unity, but not the unity of the graveyard sought after by those who seem intent on splitting our indy movement even further. If your readers are for genuine grassroots all inclusive and non party aligned pro-indy marches, then they can rest easy knowing that AUOB, the established rank and file organisation of the Yes movement, will continue to march for independence and provide a platform for ALL sections of our movement.”
Bravo, Neil. Well said.
Good response by Neil Mackay of AUOB.
I long since gave up taking Lesley Riddoch seriously. She became a mouthpiece for Nicola Sturgeon/Humza Yousaf and cabal some long time ago, content to regurgitate the complacent view of the current SNP leadership. Believe in Scotland, led by Gordon Macintyre-Kemp, are fundraisers – paper not coins, please – for a strategy that mirrors that of the SNP leadership. Which is to say, no strategy at all. Or, at best, a rinsed and repeated version from 2014 when circumstances in Scotland have completely changed and, in any event, that approach patently failed – YES lost the Independence Referendum.
The SNP via BiS wish to own and control the YES movement. Lesley Riddoch advocates ‘unity’ without offering something for supporters of the restoration of Scotland’s full self-government to coalesce around and is surely aware that means falling into line with GM-K’s organisation and that of the ‘party of Independence’.
That will not do and Neil Mackay is right to point that out.
This woman is no Indy supporter, yes she’ll bang on and on about it but she has never really questioned the SNP or its leadership’s route to Indy.
For starters the reason that the movement is in division is simple because the SNP believe they and the Greens own Independence brand and or the name of it.
These parties will not allow anyone to voice a different opinion to theirs. The only people they will allow to voice an opinion are people who advocates Independence and making a living from it, but these are the people who are actually blocking independence.
Lesley Riddoch, believe in Scotland and Gingerdug and one or two I can’t think of are no friends to Scotland. If any of these people where involved I wouldn’t bother turning up, they’re RED COATS.
Just look at how both the SNP/Greens have divided our country from, their support of 1% to alienating 99% of the population, to bottle return scheme, the issue of Laptop for kids and bicycles, the list goes on and on all failures.
A year ago we had a STUNT called the chain of freedom along a canal which no one saw or heard of unless you where actively involved in the event, this was attended by no other than Lesley Riddoch, the SNP and Greens, OH yes and we are no further towards Independence then we were in 2015 to 2024.
After the Supreme court ruling we once again had Lesley Riddoch shout out we must show our support for Indy by attending one of these gatherings, which I did, I attended the one in Edinburgh and listened to Sturgeon and on the way back to the car we bumped into Kenny MacAskill MP and spoke to him, you can imaging what was said.
The division is being created by 1, the SNP 2, the Greens and 3, their loyalist who make money out of Indy. Add all these up and what do you get no PROGREES FOR SCOTLAND NO MOVEMENT ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION AND DIVISION. Its time to stop thinking these individuals are working towards the goal of Independence they are not their working to stop it.
Believe in Scotland’s march is a stunt to make money for the SNP and nothing more, AUOB march is for Independence. My opinion is, anyone trying to prevent freedom of speech and anyone who supports them are trying to deny you that right are democracy deniers.
When Sturgeon first asked for a section 30 order she could have achieved this from Theresa May, by simply saying if you don’t provide a section 30 order I will then seek a route via the Scottish parliament or by some other mean, but she failed to do this, and this is why we are where we are today.
I have no idea how anyone can call themselves a Indy supporter and buy or read the Rag shame on you.
Bravo AUOB. Maybe Neil, with all his experience in meeting and marching with grassroots’ supporters, could write a piece on the opinions his garnered concerning abstentionism?
It is the greatest pity that unity cannot be practised in relation to achieving independence, but that’s how it goes. Well done to Neil for highlighting the real story. I like Lesley, but not to see what is wrong in the SNP strategy is to be complacent. Independence is an issue that cannot wait forever. It need to be addressed urgently if we are not to lose momentum and steamroller ourselves into a wholly inappropriate response. When are people going to accept that a pre independence referendum is not necessary as a means to achieve independence. It is not required in domestic law or international law. It is being used as a means to a cul de sac.
As soon as BIS started to wade in to the marches I felt,not just puzzled and uneasy, but angry that the sterling work of AUOB over the last years was being cast aside. I’m disgusted by it and even more so by the hobnobbing with politicians. See you folks in May! 🏴
I know it looks bad right now, but I think that all this splintering is both inevitable and necessary in order to cast off all the negativity and come up with new ideas and ways of achieving our goal.
Every independence movement in the history of the planet has gone through this. The fact that the SNP has proved so intransigent (de Valera style – our way or the highway) has been the biggest stumbling block, but I think that AUOB is being rejuvenated.
As the saying goes, sooner or later, our Messiah will arrive and pull all the strands together. The Irish had to have a civil war to come to terms with their divisions, and, in the end of the day, I think Collins was the right man for the time, had he but lived, rather than De Valera.
After all, even de Valera had to wait a number of years for full Irish independence as a republic as opposed to an Irish Free State which Collins said was what the British would concede immediately ( I think we would have to wait for a republic, too) with the understanding that full independence as a republic would come later.
He proved to be right. He was also right, I think, in hindsight, about Northern Ireland – or the six counties, as it was known then. It could have been won much earlier and saved countless deaths had de Valera not stepped in and refused to countenance Collins’s plan against James Craig’s Loyalists.
One of these fine days, though, Ireland will be one state. One of these fine days, and it may not be as far off as we think, Scotland will be free of the Union and all parts of these islands will be able to find their own feet.
The SNP/Greens have made a very good stab at preventing that day ever coming; they are wrong, and we know they are wrong. Collins may have died before his time, but almost all he said has come to pass and probably will come to pass. We need a Collins – one who is around longer than the Irish one.
I’m not advocating violence. I am advocating the avoidance of violence, as Collins did, albeit he had reached a point of being sickened by it, having taken part in a great deal of it himself – which is ironic in that he was murdered by a sniper’s bullet from another Irishman’s gun.
Fanon tells us the rupture in an independence movement occurs between what is known as the ‘legal (i.e. S.30) tendency’ and the ‘illegal tendency’, the latter focusing on independence and self-determination as a peoples right and as a matter of international law, the former as a matter of domestic (i.e. colonial) law.
This occurs because the ‘legal tendency’ has stalled the movement and “moved ever closer to colonialism”, the party elite depending on the ‘generosity’ of the oppressor power, rejects any innovation on the matter of liberating the people and essentially leaves the matter of independence “to future events”; hence the absolute waste of the last 10 years and squandering of six parliamentary majorities in favour of independence, with the peoples patience now worn out.
According to postcolonial theory, the ‘pampered bourgeoisie’ that invariably heads the ‘legal tendency’ are in for a rough ride, the people will rightly cast them aside, not least because of their oppressive laws, and their “behaving like a gang, now working with colonial forces and becoming “an implement of coercion”, holding the movement back and actively delaying and possibly preventing independence.
I think that that is right, Alf. The SNP/Green coalition is very much a middle-class one, and it completely leaves out the huge working-class support that the SNP enjoyed pre 2014, and, indeed, enjoyed throughout its existence. It is not only in this sphere that the middle-class elitists have lain siege to strong Scottish working-class affinities: it is right across the board. The SNP/Greens in Scotland have emulated NULabour’s UK endeavours, in making accommodations with elements that can only harm the country as a whole a nd the people as a whole.
Has anyone else noticed that BIS looks remarkably like BS? Every time I read BIS my brain ensures I see BS.
Must be me!
It seems to me that the twisted infultrationists that inhabit the upper echelons of the SNP are trying to destroy AUOB. Nothing as it seems in UK,Ok colonial Scotland. BIS is another Trojan horse for the secret Unionists cabal.
I think they are trying to ‘own’ independence, Alastair. NULabour did exactly the same with the working-class aspirations of Labour to the detriment of the unions, working conditions, benefits, etc. Now, the SNP/Greens are trying to out-Labour Labour and out-Tory the Tories. They think the answer lies in accommodation. They are betraying everything the independence movement ever stood for in Scotland.