Welcome to the latest news from the SIC. Every month, we will bring you updates from the SIC (what we’ve been up to, what we are planning, news from our members) and information from across the independence movement! We want to share your news and events too: please do get in touch and let us know what you would like to see in this newsletter. And our apologies to those of you who might have received several copies of the August newsletter – we had a glitch with our email system, but that is hopefully all sorted now – thank you for your understanding!
Update from SIC Council
All members of the SIC are in favour of independence for Scotland. And we have all, at various times, probably described our vision for an independent Scotland that is fairer, greener, more prosperous, and so on. But what do we actually mean by these terms? And what are the principles or values that we can all agree on? Being an umbrella body means that our members will have different policy positions on certain issues (NATO membership springs to mind). But that does not mean we cannot develop some key position statements that we can all support.
This was the discussion that the last meeting of the SIC Council focused on. We started to develop a set of positions that we can all agree on, so that we can comment, coherently and relevantly, on issues that arise in the media, in our communities, and elsewhere. We discussed the following areas:
- Why we want independence (as a means to an end rather than an end in itself)
- What we think about nuclear weapons and peace
- What our position on Human Rights treaties should be
- Are there common positions on the economy and on what we understand by prosperity
- What role should Culture play in our lives
- What does ‘greener’ mean
- What do we mean by equality
- What can we agree on regarding food, housing and land
This is very much a work in progress, and our next meeting of the SIC Council (on 29th October), will continue this discussion. We hope that, at this meeting, we can agree on a position paper that will guide our engagement with the Scottish Government, pro-independence political parties, civic institutions, communities, and others.
Scotland’s Right to Choose
Few people doubt the right of a nation to self-determination. Indeed, both the UK and Scottish Governments have supported the principle of the Claim of Right – that is, the right of the people of Scotland to determine their constitutional future. However, it is clear that the current UK Government is unwilling to allow us to pursue this right via another independence referendum (which would, as in 2014, require a Section 30 order). That does not mean, though, that we are not continuing to pursue options that would allow our voices to be heard on this matter. If you or your organisation are interested in being part of developing a campaign that is specifically focused on Scotland’s Right to Choose, please do get in touch with us by email.
Voices for Scotland Update
You will hopefully have seen the weekly Get Togethers that our campaign organisation, Voices for Scotland, has been running. Every Thursday evening from 6pm, they get together (via Zoom) to discuss different aspects of Scotland’s future. A couple of week’s ago, they hosted a conversation with David Hayman and Chris Dolan – if you missed it, do catch up here!
VfS has also hosted recent discussions about fuel poverty, Scottish independence and EU membership, and more. For more information about these and future events, visit the VfS website events page. You can find out more on the Voices for Scotland Facebook and Twitter accounts, or email them at info@voicesforscotland.scot.
VfS is keen to be a resource for campaigners and groups across the country. You might also be interested in the resources they have developed or gathered so far, but if you have any other resources you’d like to share with the wider movement, do let them know.
If you would like to support the work of Voices for Scotland, as they reach new audiences and give more people in Scotland a voice, please do visit the donate page and become a regular donor.
SIC Member in focus: Women for Independence
SIC is a member-led organisation, and we want to help spread information about our members with the wider independence movement. This month, we feature Women for Independence (WfI).
Women for Independence (WfI) is an open and diverse network of women who aim to improve the representation of women in public and political life throughout Scotland.
They promote the causes of Scottish independence and other constitutional changes likely to contribute to greater democracy and home-rule for Scotland, gender equality and social justice. They do this through a network of individuals and organised groups across Scotland, and by working to increase women’s political engagement, nationally and in communities.
WfI was founded in 2012 and campaigned for a Yes vote in the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. After the referendum they decided to stay together and become a more formal organisation, recognising that there was still work to do to meet their aims.
WfI is governed by a constitution, and has affiliated local groups across Scotland. You can find out more about the local groups here, and can get involved in a number of different ways. If you would like more information about WfI, you can email them at info@womenforindependence.org, or visit their website.
Events for your diary
We know that there are lots of different things happening across Scotland, organised by campaign groups and others. If you would like your events featured in this newsletter, please let us know! Keep an eye on the SIC Facebook page where events we think are of interest will be shared.
You might be interested in the following upcoming events:
- Keep an eye on https://constitutionforscotland.scot/ for exciting things happening next month
- On Thursday 8th October, Jamie Cooke from RSA Scotland, hosted by Dundee and Angus Greens, will lead a discussion entitled A Basic Income for Scotland
- Dr Ben Jackson will be discussing his new book, The Case for Scottish Independence, on 15th October
- If you live or work in Aberdeen or the North East, you might be interested in an online discussion on Monday 19th October with the Aberdeen Independence Movement about how to campaign in a post-COVID world
Don’t forget to have a listen to Broadcasting Scotland’s regular evening and weekend shows (more details here), and do let us know if you’d like your event publicised to the wider of the SIC movement.
We want to hear from you!
That’s it for this month. If you have anything you’d like to share with the wider independence movement (this email goes to several thousand people!), please do let us know. And do let us know what you think about this newsletter, and how we can make it better!
Thanks all.
Take care, and stay well.
The SIC Comms team
The Scottish Independence Convention
e: info@theconvention.scot f: facebook.com/ScotConvention t: twitter.com/ScotConvention w: independenceconvention.scot