Pensioners on the March – Are your boots made for walkin’?
Cos it’s only three weeks till the Glasgow March & Rally on Saturday 20th April.
Scottish IndyPodcasters met up with Gordon McIntyre-Kemp of Believe in Scotland and Marlene Halliday, one of our members who will be speaking at the Rally. They told us all about their plans and in particular about the festive atmosphere they want to create for the whole event.
. Watch them here:
.
PS If your boots, feet, knees, or hips are not for joining the March
…. then just come to George Square for the Rally. It’s easy to get there on public transport, the stalls will be there, there’s benches to sit on, and there’s lots of cafes nearby.
Mary McCabe, of our Greater Glasgow group, organised our section on the Forth & Clyde Canal for the Chain of Freedom Event on 14th October. Here is her report back:
Mary writes:
.
The Chain of Freedom on October 14th was more successful than we had dared to hope. And Pensioners for Indy played our part in it!
At the time I left the house to go to our allotted section 3E at Bishopbriggs, I had exactly 40 on my list. I was thinking well I don’t expect all 40 will actually turn up. If we get 25 that’ll be a good showing. In fact 54 turned up for our section! Not my figures: the count was carried out by Christian the official appointed steward for our section.
The weather was glorious and we looked and sounded cheery and lovely with our flags and banners strung along the bank of the gleaming canal.
.
Rumours Are Spreading : Did Unionists try to sabotage the event?
Apparently there were a few blank sections where nobody appeared. Mary heard that this was because Unionists (either human or bots) had registered by the hundred and filled up some of the sections thus stopping genuine activists from getting in. Next time – and there will be a next time of some kind – the organisers will be wise to the possibility of underhand tactics.
Thanks, Mary, to you and all your companions on Section 3E. Meanwhile on Section 2A at Knightswood and Clydebank in Glasgow more of our members were enjoying themselves. You’ll maybe recognise some of them in this clip.
.
.
Our friends, Marlene and Fiona of the IndyPodcaster Team (they’re also members of Pensioners for Indy) have made this longer souvenir video of the event. It’s got more footage from Knightswood, some from near the Falkirk Wheel, from Bonnybridge, and from Kelvinhead, a drone’s eye view, and the Silent Clansman in his canoe!
.
See you all next year! Because we’re sure the Chain of Freedom team are thinking about a possible follow-up event….
Pensioners for Independence joined 25,000 other supporters of independence (figures from Edinburgh Polis) for the March down the Royal Mile to Holyrood and the Rally outside Parliament.
Here are some photos from our Glasgow Group
Were you there? If you were, send us your photos and we’ll add them here.
Our Greater Glasgow group are out on our stalls twice a week in the city centre in Argyl St, and every fortnight out in Milngavie. But later this month they have a different sort o action planned: a demonstration outside the UK Government Glasgow Hub in Atlantic Square, Glasgow, G2 8JQ.
All Under One Banner are on the go again. On March 5th 2,500 (or 3000 or 3,500 depending on who’s counting) pro-indy activists gathered once more; this time in Ferguslie Park Paisley. Nothing like the 100,000 who used to sweep through Glasgow and Edinburgh. Not in the same league as the 20,000 who made it over seas and rough roads to remote Campbeltown. But for these cautious, post-lockdown times, with many people still shielding and others fallen out of the way of campaigning or even of travelling beyond their hometown, I call that a good start.
Greater Glasgow branch of Pensioners for Independence played a full part.
On this occasion the route ended where it began. So it was a lot easier to erect the gazebo together, then leave two of us (Sheena and Rosalyn) in charge of the stall while the rest of us (Mary, Heather, Isabel, Phil, Neil and Frankie the dug) carried the banner on the rally.
Unlike the last two occasions (where pro-indy rallies were organised in Glasgow and in Edinburgh during a hiatus in the lockdown) we were permitted to follow a central, high profile route, right down the High Street and past the University of the West of Scotland. Everywhere we were warmly greeted by the locals. There was no sign of the half-dozen or so counter-revolutionaries who used to huddle together at some point on our route, glaring and waving handfuls of Union flags.
Back in the Park…
Back at the park there was a proper rally, albeit with fewer stalls than in the past. There were stalls from the Low Rent activists and from the Socialists. Artists displayed their work, including a range of beautifully decorated slates. There were no commercial kiosks, but volunteers at one of the stalls provided sandwiches, hot drinks and home baking.
The rally was jointly organised by AUOB and by Make Poverty History. The theme was support for beleaguered Ukraine. The Ukrainian national anthem was played. Speakers included politicians such as George Adam MSP, a range of representatives from socialist groups and of course Ukrainians. Rosalyn provided a Ukrainian flag for our stall, to fly alongside the usual Saltire.
There was home baking from Sheena and from Colin’s wife Morag (Granular Tsars, so a Russian theme). We had jewellery made by Sheena and Yes Stones painted by Sheena and Heather. Donations to the stall were very welcome!
Most importantly:
AUOB have already organised more monthly marches in different towns throughout the rest of the year. The next is planned for Arbroath on the 2nd of April, as a (delayed!) celebration of the 700th anniversary of the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath. The one after that will be Glasgow, on 14th May.
After the (still lingering) pandemic, after the numerous lockdowns, it’s great to declare to the world: the indy movement is still here, we’re still determined and we’re back marching!
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.