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This week’s column comes ahead of SNP conference in Perth. I’m not sure how to feel about the normal business of party conference; resolutions, fringe events and the inevitable socialising, because everything prior to this conference had been leading up to the 18th of September. I knew when leaving Spring conference that however we came back together this November, we would be forever changed by our experiences. I didn’t imagine that we would be such a large party, and I hope to see plenty of new faces among the familiar ones. We have a great job to do as a party to initiate new members,Read More →

To win in every single constituency in Glasgow, but lose the referendum was quite a surreal feeling; we’d given it our all in Shettleston, the culmination of everything we’d learned. Volunteers worked incredibly hard; we surpassed all canvassing and leafleting targets. Ballot box sampling giving encouraging results. Standing in Emirates Arena with my baby daughter in my arms, hearing the returning officer confirm that Glasgow had voted Yes, when we all knew Scotland had, with a few notable exceptions, voted No was bittersweet. But yet, the strangest thing was yet to come; out of Friday and Saturday’s despair, people began joining the SNP in droves.Read More →

The campaign for Scottish independence has been on the go now in some shape or form for over three hundred years. Having lunch with branch organiser David Linden yesterday, we started to feel the finish line in sight – now in terms of weeks and days rather than long months and longer years. Our branch has been working hard, leafleting and canvassing constantly for years now. It feels odd to be scheduling in the final deliveries, the target areas for canvassing, the strategy for the most crucial polling day Scotland has ever seen. Yet these final weeks are indeed the most important. Our canvassing tellsRead More →

Picking up where Grant Thoms left off in last week’s Flag in the Wind, the European Election results were announced on Monday. It always feels a bit odd to go home after a long polling day effort… and wait. I must admit it was nice to soak in the bath and put my feet up rather than face an early morning at the count, but the not knowing is very strange! In my own branch of Shettleston, David Linden had knock-up teams pushing through polling districts from early on polling day until most voters were heading for their beds. We got a keen response fromRead More →

I had an odd sensation at SNP conference in Aberdeen last weekend; like being at the top of a rollercoaster, waiting for the thrill of the drop. When next we meet as a party, the referendum will be over and Scotland will be changed forever. It’s almost overwhelming to consider the implications, but the sense of excitement amongst activists at conference was very real. The emotions of conference felt particularly strong to me – I’m always mindful that on this journey to independence we carry the hopes of those who have passed along with the opportunities of those to come. Yet, I was deeply movedRead More →

International Women’s Day falls on the 8th of March, and with it further consideration of women’s role in the independence referendum. By the time this is published, you will find a video on the Women for Independence  website encouraging women to get involved in the debate. It’s definitely going to be worth watching and sharing! Women’s involvement hasn’t shifted a great deal from Lesley Riddoch’s column in the Scotsman two years ago – there has been more information on childcare, more women on panels, lots of wonderful women putting their case on twitter, but women are still not as prominent in the debate as theyRead More →

The prospect of Yes should inspire first time voters – but how do we reach them and what to say? I should start with a disclaimer – I’m not as young as I used to be, and really hope none of what you’re about to read comes across as patronising! It certainly isn’t intended that way. I was recently speaking to two young male voters on the doorsteps at the Cowdenbeath by election. Both young guys were first time voters, and weren’t sure which candidate they’d be voting for, if at all. I decided to take the opportunity to speak to them about the independenceRead More →

It’s been quite a difficult time in Glasgow – first with the tragic events unfolding as a helicopter crashed into the Clutha Vaults pub, and then with the reaction to the sad loss of Glasgow’s most famous adopted son Nelson Mandela. Both events have dominated the headlines, but the humanity of Scotland’s largest city has shone out to the world. It’s very strange to find not one but two books of condolence laid out in the lobby of the City Chambers, and I was very moved reading some of the comments. So much has already been said about the Clutha tragedy in the media andRead More →