by Jason Baird, IndyApp
We would like to thank Wee Ginger Dug for agreeing to publish this and help us get the word out across the movement as widely as possible. It is very much appreciated.
A little background:
Following successful discussions at our recent national meeting of IndyApp Group Editors in Dunblane on September 22nd, it was agreed that a grassroots’ consultation process on the Scottish Growth Commission should be organised by the NYR. There were 108 attendees at the meeting on the day, representing 70 groups. Keith Brown (Depute Leader of the SNP) also took part in the discussions, giving a 20 minute presentation followed by an 80 min Q&A session. Discussions among the group representatives then continued after Keith left. These discussions have led to the announcement that follows.
We will keep everyone in touch with any significant further developments that may happen in the run up to Gathering#2.
NYR IndyApp
Gathering#2 Announcement
The National Yes Registry has been in talks with the SNP to organise an officially recognised Grassroots consultation on the Scottish Growth Commission’s report.
The objective is to facilitate a full and comprehensive grassroots consultation on the findings of the Commission’s report. This is an important wide ranging economic discussion document and the Yes movement must have the opportunity to consider it formally and in full. Such a process could be as much about education, deliberation and development of the issues raised, as it is about simple consultation on them. It has therefore been agreed that the consultation process be designed by and held under the auspices of the autonomous pro Indy groups themselves. It should also be transparent, participatory and completely independent of party politics.
To this end, and after positive discussion on the issue at our recent national meeting of local group IndyApp editors, it is proposed that Gathering#2 be used (in part) as the vehicle to begin this grassroots’ run and controlled consultation process.
Gathering#2’s agenda will therefore include:
- Further development of topics raised by the groups during Gathering#1
- Detailed discussions around issues raised by the Growth Commission’s Report
- Discussions on theme for Gathering#3 (to be held in early 2019).
Growth Commission consultation: proposed process.
Gathering#2 will follow the general format pioneered at the first event last May. After further consultation with the groups, the full Commission report will be pre divided into manageable topic areas for Gathering discussion tables to debate and consider.
Each discussion table will present their considerations to the floor of the Gathering. These presentations will focus on providing topic parameters around which the wider, countrywide, grassroots consultation process can take place.
ALL interested group members can then participate throughout the full consultation period by using their secure group forums on the new IndyApp platform to discuss and develop any topics they have an interest in.
Each consultation topic will also be discussed fully on its own dedicated forum, with each forum setting up a committee to summarise the forum discussions into an agreed ‘Forum Report’. Each of these ‘Reports’ can then be compiled into a full consultation document, published on the IndyApp national forum for review by all groups before being officially submitted to the SNP.
The consultation document will therefore be a summary of the discussions had during the consultation process. The full forum and committee room discussions will also have the great advantage of being archived on the IndyApp and accessible to all group members.
Gathering#2 will be held on Saturday the 24rth of November at the Albert Halls, Stirling. The new IndyApp will be released and rolled out during the remaining weeks prior to the event. A full programme of local group meetings will also be organised in preparation for Gathering#2 and all meeting dates published. We hope this roll out, and the consultation process itself, will encourage Yessers to join their local groups and participate fully. Non group members can participate by making submissions direct to a local group.
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Is this not what the 3 National Assemblies conducted by the SNP were for to distil the contents of the GCR and feed into SNP policies?
Hmm! I am all for understanding and educatin but do we really need another talking shop to talk about the previous talking shop?
‘education’. Why does word recognition ‘correct’ words you don’t need corrected and ignore those that are obviously wrong?
The 3 National Assemblies were for SNP members only – I think these consultations are for the wider Yes movement, which of course, includes people from all parties and none. These consultations are a vehicle by which non SNP members can also have their say, which I’m assuming will also be fed back to the SNP for consideration.
Hi Gordon.
for internal SNP constitutional reasons, only members of the SNP were able to participate in those
National Assemblies, (great as they were). This proposed grassroots consultation will be open to all active Yessers.
J 🙂
I have had indy app since the beginning I never look near it and nobody seems to be using it,or is it just me?
Hi Andrew,
the IndyApp is a grassroots developed and funded communications tool. What you have had from the beginning is only the first foundations and posts of a much larger structure. The full structure is about to be released. More construction will be done around that structure, but the main structure is now there. It is daft criticising the current app for not being widely used when we have obviously been unable advertise it or encourage the wide spread use of it until it was complete enough to do the tasks it has been designed to do.
This has been a 4 year long project and it is only coming to fruition now (hopefully just in time…) but it will always be a project in development because the grassroots are always in development.
Please get involved in a local group, get the new IndyApp with forums, Committees and resources, when it comes out( and we issue it to everyone on the national tour) and help beta test it. THEN criticise it. We will try our very best to respond to that criticism to make the IndyApp better.
Your app has about 6.5 thousand lines of code in it. The new app has about 30 thousand lines of code…
J 🙂
Lines of code is a terrible metric for program complexity.
And do we really need another mailing list replacement?
Was not using it as a metric for program complexity, just as a short hand for the large difference between the current IndyApp and the newest version – currently being beta tested.
Also: it is NOT a mailing list.
J 🙂
Why the doom and gloom in the above articles?
Here we have a means by which a non SNP member like me has a chance to provide opinion about future policies for an independent Scotland. I have read the report and it is overall good. Surely some of us non party hacks would be interested about learning more and putting our tuppence worth in.
The app is good. It aids communication and locates yes groups. Just because some do not use it does not alter this.
I agree Andy, it looks like a great initiative – gives an overall voice to anybody and everyone – we have the right in Scotland to make a collective choice on anything and everything, the SNP understand that and keep trying to tell us, but either people don’t think they are worthy, someone else will do it for them (that’s me in that catagory I guess), or don’t understand the principle.
The more people that get involved in the grassroots side of things the better, free of party politics. We need to make real decisions out our own lives and what we think is best for Scotland ourselves. Party politics is for the mundane day to day stuff, making sure your bins get collected. Constitutional stuff should be considered by everyone, regardless where of where they stand politically, as long as they WANT a Scotland that runs itself.
The Claim of Rights gives us, each of us, that power legally to make decisions like this, free of politics, we are not shackled to just hoping some politicians make the best fist of it, we each have a voice, and that – collective – voice can be binding. The SNP have offered to make that voice reality – they are not the driving force behind self determination, WE are, it is OUR choice.
Nobody is obliged to get involved in any one thing, but to put down an initiative like this, that makes a start in creating the right environment, is just bizarre. We see so many politicians that really are dim, does the majority of the population really have so little confidence in themselves and their own ideas that they don’t think they can reach those heady heights. Those dimwit politicians take a hand in running your country, but we can have a say in how they should do it, we should be using that Right, and know we are capable – whatever small part it might be.
We are NOT restricted to using the English political system, and each and every one of your opinions matter and means something (unfortunately, because I don’t always agree ,,, 😉 )
ABSOLUTELY! Thank you Contrary. 🙂
Thanks Andy. Really looking forward to hearing your views and everybody else’s that wants heard. You don’t need a party card to have a strong view or understanding of the commissions report. What the SNP have shown here is a full understanding of that fact. I really can’t understand any Yesser that does not welcome that acknowledgement. I think its brilliant and incredibly important.
J 🙂
Just watching images from Embra. Numbers vary and nothing official as yet, but attendance estimated in the high tens of thousands. Waiting to see confirmation appear on final turnout. This however looks to be massive.
HERE
I heard someone there throw around the number 120-150 *thousand*!
I know we more than filled the royal mile 15 abreast.
There were about 20 folks waving union jacks and getting in the way, for comparison 😉
Police Scotland say 100,000+
It was great to see so many flags from other countries amongst the saltires.
Gutted I couldn’t be there today Anne. The images online were quite breathtaking and, as hoped, peaceful and good humoured.
Superb and can’t praise the marchers enough.
Living in Spain, I can’t attend any marches. However, we always sit and watch on Independence Live and it never fails to bring a proud tear to my eye seeing all these people so cheerful and enthusiastic.
You have to wonder why the Unionists always have a couple of dozen protesters who are totally ignored by all and sundry! I suppose it gives the yoon media a chance to take a photo that makes the numbers look pretty much the same.
Well it was great to be there not even the sour faced 20 Yoons could ruin it heck they got drowned out when we went by them.
Even England flags as I alone saw 4 in the March so the britnats can’t say we are anti English anymore when there was England flag wavers among us.
Yes, I spotted 4 big St George’s crosses too, along with Norwegian, German, Finnish, Irish and several others which I didn’t recognise.
Oh, and Catalan of course!
We got onto lawnmarket at 1:10 and got to the park at 2:00 when we left at 3:00 after watching the Yes bikers arrive (what a sight!) they were still walking past the parly- a great turnout well done to all
We did not even start to get moving at all until after 2pm and when half way down the Royal Mile people leaving were passing us coming up the pavements as we walked down the road. We were nowhere near the end either and we could see those people getting emotional as they saw the crowds still coming down behind us.
This is a great development. As an SNP supporter I was really disappointed that the consultation wasn’t wider. This is really good news.
Every effort to enable the grass roots movement deserves support. I don’t fully understand how it is going to work and how I can contribute but I look forward to finding out.
Meantime, my thanks to all who have put hard graft into it.
Thank you Arthur, that is very much appreciated.
J 🙂
I left Scotland in 1965. My dream is to live back home in an Independent Scotland. Until then I just cannot go back. I will however support many sites who support and fight for
Scottish Independence