Tag: #ScotlandBetter

Something for the May Day weekend……

The May Day Bank Holiday weekend is upon us and traditionally there are May Day marches to commemorate International Workers Day and Spring. This Saturday sees the first of the bigger All Under One Banner Independence marches. Although Stornoway ‘stole a march’ on Glasgow last weekend. There will be some friendly rivalry between Edinburgh ( salt and sauce) and Glasgow ( salt and vinegar) over who can get the most people taking part but its the Union that will have had its chips at the end of the day.

Plenty of routes to assembly point such as subway to Kelvinbridge and just follow the crowd.

The march will leave Kelvingrove Park at 1.30 and All Under One Banner have put out a call for volunteer stewards. Please answer the call if you can by approaching an existing steward.

The requirements for being a volunteer steward are very simple and joining the team will in no way hamper your enjoyment of the big day with donning a Hi-Viz vest and following simple instructions all that will be asked of you. You do not need any experience whatsoever (even though naturally any previous experience either voluntary or in a professional context is obviously good) as full guidance will be given on the day via Steward briefings running every 30 minutes from 12.00 am, 12.30am, 1pm, as we approach the 1.30pm prompt start time for the March.

All Under One Banner

This is a family friendly march and people are encouraged to bring flags including flags of their country of origin to show we are altogether in the struggle for independence as all Scots old or new. A mark of previous marches has been the great turn out from older people and people with disabilities who know what it is like to suffer Tory austerity and dehumanising DWP assessments.

The procession route is:
Kelvingrove Park; Kelvinway; Gibson Street;Eldon Street;Woodlands Road
Sauchiehall Street;Pitt Street;West George Street;Blythswood Square (S)West George Street;Nelson Mandela Place ( shout Amandla! passing through here); West George Street;George Square;High Street
Saltmarket;Glasgow Green

The march organisers facebook page is Here to check for any changes.

Many thousands of people will walk the whole march while others may meet marchers at the Glasgow Green Rallying point. Remember to bring your flags, dugs are also very welcome! Its going to be massive so bring a peece, sun screen and a bottle of juice, but because its May there could be hailstones!Lol.

Check AUOB pages for details of other scheduled marches near you……


Last weekend saw the SNP conference in Edinburgh being virtually ignored by the main stream media. Not only was it massive for a political party conference in Scotland, it was huge in terms of both size and content. The speech Nicola Sturgeon gave was world class. It set the week off to a great start and the Tories and the media were really showing their fear of our determination.

This weekend will see the Scottish Tories conference in Aberdeen. It will have mainstream media coverage even though it will be tiny by comparison. Potential future Tory leaders will be paying Aberdeen a visit although Ruth Davidson, that super mum returning from maternity leave that the media have been fawning over all week is playing down Boris’s visit.

Although Gove and other Tory ‘stars’ will grace the conference Boris Johnson will also be up campaigning helped by his pal local MP Ross Thomson. Ross will no doubt be showing Boris all his favourite fiddling venues in Union Street and we don’t mean the ones Robbie Shepherd likes.

One thing is for sure the Tories have taken a beating in the English local government elections and Ruth Davidson did not pick a good week to return to politics. But with most of the state media on her side she can still say and do what she likes and the media will report it as if she is the First Minister.

This is why marches like tomorrow are so important.They burst the media bubble and show the people of Scotland mean business.

Sunday will also see the more traditional workers day march in many places. Thousands of trade unionists and supporters will march through Glasgow to celebrate the international workers day. Organised by Glasgow Trades Union Council this celebration looks to reach out to all those striving for justice peace and equality in our city. This year theme is on young people as they face the brunt of unjust austerity enduring insecure low paid employment, zero hour contracts and cuts to educational services.

Enjoy your May Day Bank Holiday Weekend .

Tomorrows march will be covered by Independence Live , indylive.Radio and Yes Scotlands Future

Peace Love and Scottish Independence!

Indylive.radio can be listened to online —-> here

Team Yes Scotlands Future

No longer ‘Hope over fear’ it is now ‘Hope over hate’ and this time we will succeed.

As we write this people are still taking in the implications of the statement today in the Scottish Parliament. Our movement of YES people who wanted change in 2014 have been waiting, some patiently, some not so, for this day.

So what now? Some of you may be thinking

‘We want the world and we want it now!’

……but what has been set out does not deliver that. Yet.

There is no certainty over Brexit. If things go very badly for Unionist parties, and they might, the Brexiteers will win the upper hand and create more chaos to cash in on ( Nigel Fake Rage laughs his way to the bank)

It is right to give the people of Scotland a choice .It is a choice between being pulled out of the EU into a cliff plunging economic disaster that would see our democratic rights pulled back to a forelock tugging past, or, being an outward looking independent nation still part of a European partnership we trade with and send our children to study and work in. The EU elections are a further chance to show Scotlands determination to be independent.

The Scottish Government quite rightly have spent a lot of time preparing.They have listened to the points made back in 2014 about the economy. While some of this is not popular with sections of the Yes movement at least they have tried to address it with an economic focus because this is what the analysts say will sway most soft ‘no’ votes.

In 2014 we were all smitten by a vision of what could be, something better, something more just and more positive. Since then we have been bombarded by relentless anti-Scottish propaganda and media bias. Yet despite that people still march, people make Yes stones, people smile at you when you wear a Yes badge ( regardless of what the design is).Independence has seeped into our way of life but we are not permitted to express it through our (state) media.

The sight of Murdo Fraser trying to copy Gordon Brown by pleading for support for Federalism is a sign we are winning. The impatience of the last period, the differences of opinion over this and that, the personality politics of one grouping over another is all now ammunition for that great unionist media machine to exploit and undermine us even more.

Brexit has unleashed so much hate in its wake that while economic arguments may win our independence the avoidance of hate is also a main driver.

We have seen the rapid growth of the extreme right with UKIP soaking up people who previously shared meetings with the murderer of Jo Cox MP.

Nigel Fake Rage himself has pulled in supporters ranging from Tory Anne Widdecombe to members of old marxist/communist sects sworn enemies of the EU, not to mention Gorgeous George Galloway ( meow). The political cartwheels are making us dizzy and that’s before we look at the Labour Party that ‘push me pull you’ beast that is neither Remain nor Leave depending on what press release you read and how the polls are faring. We can’t rely on Left Labour cavalry, it was always an illusion and now Corbyn will probably have his last stand like Custer did with with is own right wing as the First Nation Indians.

While I for one have had my moments of impatience, I am very proud of how far we have come since 2014. We have some significant independent media, like this page, excellent independent live streaming resources and great local online press like Orkney News. As the government talks about currency and the economics of independence I can hear people start to criticise them. I fear we will begin to tear apart our own success because we cannot see the prize of independence clearly enough. In order to succeed we all need to do that.

But there is another factor that drives us. The hatred that Brexit has unleashed is poisoning us. We need to stop that. We need to remind ourselves of why we got into this in the first place. For many of us it was looking at our children and grandchildren who are ofcourse all older now.

It was about protecting our NHS.It was about getting rid of nuclear weapons and spending the money on our children instead. Now it is also about ensuring we have enough people to work in our NHS and caring for our elderly. It is about growing the economy, an economy that would not grow in a Tory Brexit based system that breaks down the movement of people. The Brexit process was based on a campaign of hate, and much else about lining the pockets of the Brexiteers. It has been a long journey but for many it has laid bare the disregard the UK has for Scotlands people and our self determination.

It has been along wait but now the real work starts and it is right to have hope over hate. G

Friends Not Masters


It’s an often quoted myth that the Scots hate the English and vice versa but for most individuals that couldn’t be further from the truth. There may be competitive rivalry between the two nations in, for example, sporting matters but it is (for the most part) a good natured  affair. Like a friendship we would not wish ill of the other.

Politically however this is not the case within the UK as there does not exist the natural balance of a friendship, where both parties are equals and they have a mutual respect. Imagine if you will two friends going into a bar for a drink? Before ordering they will discuss what each wants so that each is happy with what they receive. Not so with the political union of the UK where Scotland will almost inevitably be subject to the will of the English MPs in any matter arising. This is of course because the Westminster parliament works on a system of representation based on percentage population of the countries within the union. On the face of it this seems fair and democratic but is it?

Meanwhile back at the bar I arrive with nine friends for a drink. My friends all drink Bitter but I like a pint of Heavy? Now, normally this wouldn’t be a problem except that under the ‘rules’ of our friendship it is the majority who choose what everyone gets to drink. So nine votes for Bitter and one for Guinness results in everyone drinking Bitter together (for every round). Another issue with this arrangement is that the bill is shared which again seems reasonable except that my friends all order food and snacks when I don’t require any or share in them. It is apparent that although my friends realise my unhappiness at the situation they are reluctant to change from the status quo as they are content always getting what they want and,truth be known, having me subsidise their expenses.

What seemed like a democratic arrangement in hindsight feels very unfair and is an ever increasing strain on our friendship. The sensible and mature solution is surely for me to simply remove myself from the arrangement before irreparable damage is done to our relationship. I will still socialise with the same people, and consider them my friends but now each of us will take responsibility for our own needs and budget/finance for this accordingly. This new arrangement will be much fairer, eradicating any resentment between us, and strengthening our friendship in the future. 

If we apply the same principles between Scotland, England and the rest of the UK, there is no reason why we cannot re-assess our relationships, adjust them accordingly and remain friends. No one is suggesting a split which is irreparable or destructive. We are simply looking to re-establish some equivalence and equality, beyond which our relationships can bloom because the resentments and frustrations of the imbalance no longer exists. We can rebuild a strong relationship with the rUK, without the dependency upon them. It can, and should be done. 

Yes Scotlands Future social media activists

This is the full text we supplied to the National newspaper for the article about the readiness of the Yes movement in the article printed this morning.

Yes Scotlands Future are a collective of activists on social media who have been active since before 2014.

Our Mantra is positivity, good humour and above all understanding the manipulation and bias in mainstream media.

The Yes movement has been like a group of planes flying in a ‘holding’ pattern above Scotland since 2014.

Some have crashed and burned already, or fallen out with each other, but many have gone on to develop a strong network built on trust , friendship and a common belief in a better Scotland.

There will always be “egos” in any movement but we try to sidestep those and just get on with it.

The Brexit shambles has exacerbated things and made people impatient but it has also revealed the true nature of the union, it is broken beyond repair.

The people who share posts on our pages are ordinary Scots looking to get involved. There is still a role for pages like this to help put information in front of people to help them argue the case for independence.We just need a date to land safely and get a move on.

Team Yes Scotlands Future

Your Future, You Decide

You may have noticed that I don’t write very many blog length pieces and there is a very good reason for that…I don’t feel the need to as there are so many others who are much more talented in that field than I am. I read; the Wee Ginger Dug, Wings over Scotland, Peter A Bell, Barrhead Boy, Grousebeater, Jeggit, as well as YSF’s own G-man to name but a few.

Now the question you should be asking at this point is…but Martin do you agree with everything that they say and/or how they choose to express themselves? The answer to that is NO I don’t and nor should I. The Scottish Independence movement is about thoughtful individual consideration. We are not a group of mindless automatons singing from the same hymn sheet and nor should we ever be. The moment where we become a flock of loyal sheep following a shepherd (or shepherds) is the point where we have lost the understanding of that which we have been striving to change.

Many of Scotland’s problems have, in recent decades, been compounded by the mindless following of the so called ‘Scottish’ Labour Party. Like so many other voters in Scotland I, for many many years, blindly voted for this party without ever holding them accountable. They were, after all, the party with Scotland’s interests at heart…they had told me this much!! Of course when examined in detail this was patently untrue, Scotland had simply been won over by spin and propaganda. 

It is a trap which I refuse to ever fall into again. After the 2014 IndyRef I promised myself that NEVER again could any political party (or individual) be assured of my vote. I will cast my democratic vote in every political election from now until my death based on the FACTS and my opinion. You want my vote? Then you’re going to have to earn it!! I hope that every Scottish voter will take a similar stance.

YSF isn’t here to tell you what to think or who or what to vote for. ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Our remit is to promote an independent Scotland and the best interests of its peoples by encouraging you to think for yourself. Because that is what Scotland needs: Thinkers!

So Yes Scotland’s Future will continue to do what we have always done…supply you with information and opinion. It is up to you to analyse what we publish and reach your own conclusions. That is what we believe is best for Scotland, it’s people, and it’s future. 

Three little letters

If you think about it for just a minute you’ll be amazed at the things that an iScotland could choose to do (or not do). It’s all about having the power to decide for ourselves what we want and what we don’t want.  Who could possibly make better decisions for Scotland than the people who live there themselves.

Three little letters will give Scotland access to all its resources and control over all its responsibilities. Nobody is saying it will be easy, it will take lots of hard work and some sacrifice, but ask yourself this…

Will it be worth it… Y E S

Dissolve The Union

I agree with Tim Montgomerie on this point- there is no way back from the devastation caused to the UK by Brexit. The UK is now a global laughing stock and will NEVER recover its status, nor should it. The only prudent course of action is for the union to be dissolved and for its component countries to start afresh.

If the UK was a much loved pet then surely, no matter how much you loved it, you would be merciful and put an end to it’s tortured existence as painlessly as possible. Let’s all agree that Westminster has failed and now move forward with hope and determination.