ScotRef Westminster Mismanagement

My speech at today’s #AllUnderOneBanner March

I was honoured to be asked to speak at the #AllUnderOneBanner march in Glasgow today, estimates of over 80,000 people seem to be accurate and are being widely reported.

Here is what I said;

Wow – what an amazing sight today, around 80,000 people marching, who believe in Scotland.

I am so proud to be part of our civic, internationally focussed, welcoming and inclusive, grassroots led movement for Scottish independence. 

Contrast this to the atmosphere created by the politicians that sold Brexit to the rest of Britain.   They are driven by nothing but old fashioned, unreconstructed, sometimes xenophobic British nationalism.  

And that is not welcome here.

If the Scottish media want to know what a separatist looks like, then look no further that Johnson, Gove, Davis, May, Farage and yes, even Corbyn. 

Some people still have the guile to suggest that there is a political answer to Scotland’s problems within the UK, but the UK is Scotland’s problem. 

It’s not about the Tories – UK Labour are just as distant, disinterested and dysfunctional – they don’t understand the brilliant vision we share for our Scottish nation.

In the last General Election the Tories fielded the worst candidate for Prime Minister ever – they ran the worst campaign ever and Jeremy Corbyn still couldn’t win.  Now we have the worst Government ever – openly at war over Brexit, openly racist over Windrush, openly incompetent on the economy, and UK Labour can’t even make progress in the English council elections.  

Imagine what would happen if the Tories replaced Theresa May with someone vaguely competent, or even vaguely human.  Labour would be destroyed. 

So what is Labour’s big plan to stop independence  – The Vow2 – they say we should have a federal system, but federalism would have to be voted on by the whole of the UK. England doesn’t wan’t Federalism and it won’t vote vote for it,  so it won’t happen. 

Labour can’t even tell us what Federalism is,  so I challenged one of them on it, and she told me it would be the devolution of everything except Defence, Welfare, International Relations and Full Fiscal Powers. 

So they want to keep for Westminster the ability to renew trident, to cut benefits, to wage illegal wars, and to keep Scotland from investing in its own future and creating a more prosperous society. 

Folks  – those are not the last four powers Scotland needs those are the first four powers Scotland needs. 

They are trying to sell us a policy they can’t delivercan’t define and that they can’t win a general election with, but we are supposed to believe that once again Labour are the party of home rule!

Kier Hardie must be turning in his  grave.

I have dedicated the last 6 years of my my life, full time, to delivering independence for Scotland, and Business for Scotland never stopped campaigning we never stopped making the business and economic case for Independence. 

But in the next few weeks BfS will announce our new Scottish independence campaign. The first initiative will be the launch of our new Independence Ambassador Programme, but this time it’s not just for business people, we want to make our training, our resources, materials and funding available to everyone in the wider Yes movement.

This year we are going to arm 1,000 activists with the skills, the arguments, and the campaigning materials to convert past No voters to Yes, and to convince undecided voters that with the powers of independence. We can create a fairer, more prosperous, healthier, happier, greener and more positive nation than London rule will ever allow us to be. 

Now the First Minister is on record as saying that the people of Scotland will decide when the next independence referendum will be.  BfS are going to take her at her word and field an army of independence ambassadors, to hit every town and city in Scotland and drive support for independence into the 50s, so we can first call and then win an independence referendum next year, and Scotland will be an independent nation once more.

I hope you will join us

Thank you for marching for Scotland – thank you.

Join us now

About the author

Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp

Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp is the Founder and Chief Executive of Business for Scotland. Before becoming CEO of Business for Scotland Gordon ran a business strategy and social media, sales & marketing consultancy.

With a degree in business, marketing and economics, Gordon has worked as an economic development planning professional, and in marketing roles specialising in pricing modelling and promotional evaluation for global companies (including P&G).

Gordon benefits (not suffers) from dyslexia, and is a proponent of the emerging New Economics School. Gordon contributes articles to Business for Scotland, The National and Believe in Scotland.

10 Comments

  • Well said Gordon. I feel a milestone has been met and a line crossed with this March

  • I hope Tory areas will receive plenty support for in the South of Scotland we have an enormous challenge. The difficulties and costs of travelling in rural areas make campaigning difficult, as does the stranglehold the Tories have. We hear stories, for instance, of auction marts blacklisting known Yes supporters in the farming community. Whether true or not the Tories certainly control much of what happens. Changing that is a formidable task. Help would be much appreciated.

    • Good points Dorothy. It’s not winning in these areas that matters next time but minimising the No Vote if we get 48% in the South of Scotland we will have won handsomely overall. In particular BfS is looking to run a rural focussed campaign alongside our normal campaign – something we didn’t have the knowledge and experience to do last time.

  • Spot on Gordon, looking forward to campaigning, getting out there.
    Superb March, overcome with emotion at times,
    All the people flags out their windows, shop staff out waving , cheering and clapping.
    Well wishers and tourists clapping.
    Walking to the start, was overcome with the scale
    Of the people from all corners of our country.
    Superb.

    • Seeing the support from bystanders was marvellous. Also think of all the folk each of us knew who would have liked to be there but couldn’t be for one reason or another.

  • Excellent post Gordon,well said and I totally agree with you.
    There are many excellent bloggers in our midst and I feel proud of just how they get their story across without any bitterness whatsoever,lang may their lum reek.
    Psst,it’s Keir.:)

  • Great speech Gordon.

    Where can I find information on the ambassador role you mention?

    • Will be published on our site on the 23rd the morning after the launch event. Also will be in The National.
      cheers

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