Indy News

News from around the Yes! Movement….

Yes Bikers at Govan

Death of a Yes Biker

MmH

Yes Biker Sandy McCracken

You may have heard about the tragic death of Sandy McCracken following a serious road traffic accident en route to the Kyle of Lochalsh Independence Rally.

Sandy McCracken, member of the Yes Bikers. Death of a Yes Biker. Scottish Independence Podcasts

Sandy will be escorted by his friends…

Yesterday morning the Yes Bikers escorted Sandy’s body from Govan, Glasgow down the M74 to the England border. Yes supporters were on some of the M74 bridges to wave him off.

The Scottish Independence Podcast team went along to Govan as the Bikers were gathering and watched them set off. Here’s their video of them. They’ve included some video from M74. And at the end you’ll see the Yes Bikers as they rode over the Kyleakin Bridge last month.

Scottish Independence Podcasts. You’ll find us on our website or wherever you get your podcasts.

Scottish Independence Podcasts

MmH

We have a good relationship with the Scottish Independence Podcasts team.

During the Covid lockdown when we moved to online meetings and talks, we asked them to take on producing podcasts from our events.

If you scroll down through our blog posts on this website you’ll find lots of really good talks and discussions from Glasgow and Edinburgh Groups. Those podcasts are also available on Google, Apple, Podbean and wherever else you get your podcasts. And if we recorded a video then the video is up on their YouTube channel. In all our talks and discussions have had over 5,000 downloads on these podcast channels.

All of that is down to the Scottish IndyPod team. So we thought we’d write this to say thank you and tell you a bit more about them. First thing to say is that they recently published their 800th podcast. And have just passed 250,000 downloads overall. Dedicated is the word that comes to mind!

This is a recent chat they had with Laura Pollock of The National

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You can sign up to their mail-list for advance notice of the podcasts. Click here.

Scottish Independence Podcast YouTube Channel

Although their main activity is creating audio podcasts, they have a YouTube channel called IndyPod Extra where they upload any video footage that they take. Recently they have been tackling the joys of outside recordings. If you go to the channel you’ll find footage from rallies in Skye (wet & windy), Ayr (windy & sunny) and most recently from Edinburgh (sunny and gorgeous). There is some great content and chats, eg two of their collaborators went to Loudoun in Ayrshire with the Saturday Saltire Group and our of that came a great chat about the Battle of Loudoun and Bruce’s victory of the Earl of Pembroke. Click on the image and you can tune into that one: 

Scottish Independence Podcasts

Scottish Independence Podcast Website

They publish a new podcast every Friday. It’s great being able to tune into their weekly podcasts. And as well as making sure those are available widely online, their website operates as a resource and archive. You can browse through the categories on the website. So say you’re interested in defence, you’ll find all the podcasts touching on that topic in one playlist. If you want to find out about ferries or freeports – cos let’s face it, Scottish ferries and freeports are touchy subjects in some quarters – then just click on their Infrastructure Category. Click on the image and have a look.

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Thanks again, IndyPodcasters!

Edinburgh Rally for Independence

MmH

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.

Another of the Glasgow Group was there as one of the Scottish Independence Podcast team.

Here’s their souvenir video.

Thanks to Believe in Scotland and Yes for EU for organising the event. You were brill. And you even got the sun to shine!

If you haven’t heard the speeches they will be available on Scottish Independence Podcasts on Friday 8th Sept.

In Arbroath for the Independence Rally…

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Highlights from a visit to Arbroath for the AUOB March

Marlene, member of our P4Indy National Group, writes:

I was up in Arbroath at the weekend for the AUOB March. I went up on the Friday with a friend, Fiona McGregor also a member of Pensioners for Indy. We had all day Saturday to wander around, visit the Abbey, find the statue of King Robert and Bishop Bernard, Chancellor of Scotland and Bishop of Arbroath, take photos and chat to strangers!

Here’s a video blog that we made:

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And here are a couple of the speeches: Mike Russell, former MSP and now President of SNP, and Dave Dougan, MP for Arbroath.

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Back to the Streets…Paisley March

MmH

We March Again Under the One Banner

Mary McCabe writes:

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!