THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND SPELLS OUT THE FUTURE PATH.
We Are Set to Go A lot has happened since our last newsletter. And we spell it all out here. But this is not just a newsletter – it’s a Call to Action. First up, the Yestival runs on Saturday 8 October at Glasgow’s George Square (note the date change from 18 September). We’ll be there and we’d likeContinue reading "THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND SPELLS OUT THE FUTURE PATH."
We Are Set to Go A lot has happened since our last newsletter. And we spell it all out here. But this is not just a newsletter – it’s a Call to Action. First up, the Yestival runs on Saturday 8 October at Glasgow’s George Square (note the date change from 18 September). We’ll be there and we’d like to see as many of you there too. On 1st September, MP Neale Hanvey, before an assembly of 100 of us, read a Notice to Quit to the UK government and then The Edinburgh Proclamation. If you haven’t signed it, do so now! The Proclamation is the cornerstone of our international campaign to restore Scottish self-determination and constitutional rights. A campaign that will be blocked by the might of the British State. We have to be ready. And ready we will be. We set out here how we can and will promote this campaign, with a great announcement about iScot magazine. Finally, there’s training. We’re planning on running strategy and training events for anyone that wants to attend. So, it’s a long email. Better grab a drink of whatever takes your fancy and strap in. Here are the contents: Glasgow YestivalThe Edinburgh ProclamationThe Campaign, What is it and What Do We Do Now?The Challenge, featuring the Accession of King CharlesPromotion and iScot magazineStrategy and Training EventSummary and Action Points Please use the above links, in particular WHAT DO WE DO NOW. The YESTIVAL takes place on Saturday, 8 October, at George Square, Glasgow. The Yestival celebrates the 8th anniversary to the day since our first referendum when 45% of Scots defied the unionist ‘Better Together’ campaign and voted for freedom. On the 8th, Yestival will be there in George Square to say this time we don’t need the permission of Supreme Court judges or the Union government to gain our freedom. Salvo will be there of course, with a stall and Sara Salyers is speaking. Come along. Talk to us about how you can help Salvo, swell the ranks of the Scottish Liberation Movement and get thousands of our people to sign the Edinburgh Proclamation. The Edinburgh Proclamation To all those who made it to the event in Edinburgh on September 1st – thank you for being there on a weekday, some travelling for hours from the highlands, others travelling north for hours from the borders, some losing a day of work and some struggling through physical disabilities or discomfort to do so. It was an honour to stand beside you. Whether you were there, you were watching live or could not watch online, you will find photos for the scrapbook, video, copies of MP, Neale Hanvey’s speech, the symbolic notice to quit and the historic Edinburgh Proclamation all on the Salvo website and the Salvo Facebook page. However small this event, in the end it was an extraordinary, moving experience that will almost certainly go into the history books. We gave the British state its Notice to Quit. And with the Edinburgh Proclamation, we launched the first phase of the campaign to restore Scottish self-determination and constitutional rights, to obtain justice for Scotland and make Westminster answerable to the authority of the Scottish people in practice – not just in theory! Although we were ignored by the media the message we delivered that day will spread. It will grow louder and louder until it is heard, not just across Scotland, but across the globe.  The Campaign: What is it and What Do We Do Now? It is extremely unlikely that the UK government will ever be willing to release Scotland’s energy, water, land and export income from its grasp, or to suffer the indignity of being reduced by over a third in size and income. Forcing it to recognise the constitutional rights of the Scottish people through any domestic, legal route is just as unlikely: … there is neither precedent nor authority of any kind for the view that the domestic Courts of either Scotland or England have jurisdiction to determine whether a governmental act of the type here in controversy is or is not conform to the provisions of a Treaty, least of all when that Treaty is one under which both Scotland and England ceased to be independent states and merged their identity in an incorporating union. (MacCormick v Lord Advocate 1953 SC 396) Salvo has understood this from the start. We know that, while we will need domestic, political and legal strategies, ultimately only the scrutiny of the international courts and the international community will establish a just and lawful basis for Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the UK, or our right to withdraw from the Union if we so choose. This is why the Salvo event on 1st September in Edinburgh launched a campaign to achieve three things: The establishment of a Scottish Liberation Movement – a Liberation Movement is one of two types of organisation that qualifies for standing with the United Nations. This can be accomplished by reaching at least the same membership as claimed by Scotland’s largest political party (SNP) and the creation of a representative assembly, the Scottish National Congress. Having achieved standing, we can obtain an advisory ruling by the International Court of Justice. The question to be resolved is whether Scotland is: a) in a voluntary political Union, one which is governed by a legal agreement (the 1707 international Treaty of Union whose conditions must be respected) or b) a colony ie, in a ‘union’ governed by the English domestic Act of Union 1706, under conditions subject to the Westminster parliament, (dominated 5:1 by the English partner in the Union). If 2a above is decided, we seek the expedited restoration of all our constitutional provisions, beginning with recognition of the SNC as the successor to the Convention of the Estates and including the rights of the people to all the benefits of their own constitutional law. We can begin the process of determining ‘the form of government best suited to our needs’, (the form we wish to have, not just the kind of party). A referendum can then be called by the Scottish National Congress. This is because one role of the Congress is to uphold the clearly expressed will of the people. If that will is thwarted by government, the Congress acts with and for the authority of the people to uphold their sovereignty. If it is 2b that holds, (ie it is found that we are not entitled to the stipulations of an international treaty), we must therefore be understood to be a colony and automatically granted listing for decolonisation. Whichever is found to be the case, Scotland’s true position, the existence of its unique constitution and the right to what is called an ‘autochthonous’ (truly indigenous) constitution will be established internationally. Scotland’s right to self-determination will be established under international law and scrutiny. We can then begin the process of restoring our constitutional rights, our own form of government and the benefits that should be enjoyed by a people who own the oil, gas and renewable energy presently enriching others at our expense. We now have four organisations in place, working together for this outcome. The Scottish Liberation Movement has been formed to do two things. First, qualify as an organisation with standing in the United Nations. The path we have embarked on needs only the combined will of just one twentieth of the Scottish population to achieve all this for the whole nation! This is a ‘numbers game’ so, please, make sure you have signed up at liberation.scot. (This may be a frustrating process but for anyone who has filled out their details correctly and repeatedly – and repeatedly failed to get registered, please be aware this is not a fault with the website. It is already being attacked in order to put people off registering, very easy to do if you happen to have the ‘reach’ in multiple ways. For instance, we may be tagged as a ‘phishing scam’ so that many browsers block return emails. Please persist and help others to do so!) Second, petition the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an advisory ruling as to whether Scotland is, in reality, a sovereign, territorial nation in a voluntary political union or a colony. And that’s where Salvo comes in! In order to be a credible movement, we will need at least the same membership as is claimed by the largest political party in Scotland, ie the SNP. That gives us a target of 100,000 signatures. It might seem daunting, but that’s a lot less than 3 million! Think of it this way; if every Salvo member signed up 50 new Liberation members over the next three months, we would exceed that number by the start of January. That’s one or two street events a month, perhaps less. If other Yes groups join the campaign, we could accomplish our target even sooner. The work starts now. If you would like to meet up with members to organise an event, recruit more members and spread the word, please email Salvoauthorising us to share your email address and asking to be put in contact with other Salvo members. You can also reach other members on Facebook through different Salvo pages. Resources: We have leaflets available, a booklet going to reprint shortly and the Edinburgh Proclamation can be run off on a household printer or reprinted locally by any group who wishes to do so. (It should be in every independence seeking home!) If you would like to get copies printed, please contact Salvo for the PDF. The same applies if you would like Claim of Right leaflets or support for an event. As we write, the Scottish National Congress Group is actively creating a structure to enable the Congress to function as the representative body of the Scottish Liberation Movement (SLM). A good deal of time, thought and planning will be needed to ensure that the Congress is as democratic and inclusive as possible, as genuinely and directly representative as possible and as effective as possible without becoming another ‘top down’, ‘trust-us-we-know-what’s-best-for-you’, club of elites. As the ‘executive’ of the SLM, the large majority of members will be elected directly from the SLM membership with the remainder invited from among the elected representatives and officials of Scotland. A percentage of elected officials in the Congress will be essential because these elected representatives provide the reassurance needed by the international community that a much wider constituency is represented than the membership of the Liberation Movement. Once its role in obtaining the advisory ruling is complete, the Congress is intended to become a nationally representative body able to fill the role of the old Convention of the Estates. The Scottish Sovereignty Research Group (SSRG) is supporting the formation of the Congress and looking into ways to promote its work, including organising events and providing research and advice where requested. There’s a clear, straight road ahead of us if we choose to take it. All that will stop us is failing to get the message out across Scotland. The Challenge We Face The best, possibly only effective way, to destroy this campaign is to prevent it from entering public consciousness. And the ‘blackout’ is already in place to do just that. As many will know, the Daily Express ran a dramatic and fear-mongering piece in advance of the Salvo event. As a result, we turned up to a police presence of at least 40 officers, some in vans, others forming a cordon all the way around Queen Elizabeth House and crowd barriers in front of the building. So you would expect that after all this build up, there might be some follow up as to what actually took place? Especially after all the fuss about the Perth rally from the National. The Express did a follow up on our ‘bizarre ceremony’. Otherwise, there was a peculiar and telling silence, well described on Joan Flitcroft’s blog: The Elephant in the room.. There is an eery silence on MSM platforms tonight, one could be forgiven for saying they have been silenced. In fact, they probably have. Usually the formal opening of The Scottish Office in Edinburgh today would have got at least a few minutes cover, but no, the report has been quietly shelved. Out of sight, it never happened ! But it did, overtaken news-wise by another event they don’t want you to see or hear. The fact that this event has not been mentioned anywhere on MSM or by the main Independence Party speaks volumes. Either they see it as irrelevant OR they see it as a danger. One week later Elizabeth I of Scots and II of England, Wales and N.Ireland, died. And on Sunday, 11th September, King Charles III was declared King. In a televised ceremony, he signed and delivered his separate oaths to these nations and, in Scotland’s case, delivered the following undertaking, in accordance with the requirements of Scots law: “I understand that the Law requires that I should, at My Accession to the Crown, take and subscribe the Oath relating to the Security of the Church of Scotland. I am ready to do so at this first opportunity. I, Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of My other Realms and Territories, King, Defender of the Faith, do faithfully promise and swear that I shall inviolably maintain and preserve the Settlement of the true Protestant Religion as established by the Laws made in Scotland in prosecution of the Claim of Right and particularly by an Act intituled “An Act for securing the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government” and by the Acts passed in the Parliament of both Kingdoms for Union of the two Kingdoms, together with the Government, Worship, Discipline, Rights and Privileges of the Church of Scotland.” The section underlined is that part of the oath which every BBC broadcast in Scotland edited out. They did not just end their coverage there, they actually cut it out, edited it so that Charles appeared to finish speaking at the word Scotland, (no Claim of Right ) and move back to the table. Why? Because the Claim of Right is still law and the biggest challenge of all to the authority of Westminster in Scotland. This is the challenge we have to overcome. Spreading the Word Online Our Indy bloggers and broadcaster are indispensable and Salvo is entirely indebted to them for the public awareness that is now growing across Scotland. Please like, share and follow as many as you can. Apart from the remarkable journalism you will find nowhere else, there is a style and a focus for every taste. There are blogs like Yours for Scotland, Grousebeater, Calton Jock, Wings Over Scotland, Barrhead Boy and the ascerbic Peter Bell. Among these you’ll often brilliant writing and incisive writing and certainly facts and persepectives you won’t get from the mainstream media. We need them and they need us! “Video’ shows to support include a Through a Scottish Prism, Building the Scottish State, TNT The Nation Talks, Tweet St., Independence Live, Phantom Power Films, Two Davies, Indycar, The Nation Series and, probably, more! In Print – Liberation Magazine! Around 55% of the population still prefers to get news or topical reporting from a printed source so we also, desperately, need print media. To help us meet this challenge, iScot magazine has offered the campaign, and the Liberation movement, a free magazine in which to report, explain, observe and comment. iScot will print an edition of ‘Liberation’ within its own monthly edition. This is great news. It means we will be able to put out articles on things like the Common Good provisions and the requirement for the people (the nation), who own the land and resources of Scotland, to benefit from what they own, (oil, gas and wind power), rather than be impoverished by our own riches! These magazines have a physical life that will not disappear from view in a few days. Once read, they can be left in surgeries, community centres, Housing Association meeting rooms, cafes, pubs, buses and trains etc and continue to reach a wide audience. So, if you can afford it, (and only if you can afford it), please support iScot and the Liberation campaign by taking out a subscription. Leaflets. Booklets, Stalls and Events We have printed leaflets and booklets for printing or order. The Edinburgh Proclamation can by printed by anyone and distributed. Leaflets do most good where they can be seen by more than one person, put up in shops, cafes, surgeries, bus stops etc. But leafleting can be dull and hard and manning a stall isn’t something you want to do every week end. So how about putting on fun events where leaflets and invitations to join the Liberation movement are part front and centre? Here are a couple of ideas but you can probably do better! A Scottish hidden history, pub quiz night to include questions everyone should be able to answer on the Claim of Right (but won’t know), among the many other misrepresented Scottish facts; A fancy dress music night where people come dressed as Scottish historical characters and have to tell their stories convincingly to win the best ‘character’ prize; A Salvo coffee morning and food bank fundraiser with leaflets on every table and invitations to sign up for liberation.scot served with coffee or tea! Become a Salvo Area Co-Ordinator If there is no Salvo group in your area and you would be interested in becoming the area co-ordinator for a Salvo group please, please, please get in touch! Strategy and Training Event Many of us are hesitant about public speaking, even to small groups but just need a bit of training and support to do so. Perhaps organising an event with a discussion panel, putting up leaflets at bus stops, setting up a ‘stall’ in town on a Saturday or other events are more appealing. What are the best talking points to get people interested? What are the best ways of explaining what a Scottish constitution and the Claim of Right really mean? If you would like to take part in a strategic training day, please email uswith ‘Strategy Day’ in the subject line of the email so that we can book a venue according to the numbers. We are currently planning to hold this event in Edinburgh but will hold others around the country in the next few months. Summary and Action Points It’s been five months since the Alba Spring Conference and Sara Salyers’ exposition of the significance of the Claim of Right. Now we have the Edinburgh Proclamation, the Scottish Liberation Movement, and a fledgling Scottish National Congress that will take Scotland’s case to the ICJ and the UN itself. We will win this, but we can’t do it without the numbers. We need our fellow Scots to join us. We need them to: Join the Scottish Liberation Movement by signing the Edinburgh Proclamation Join Salvo Spread the word. Spread the Edinburgh Proclamation. Spread leaflets and booklets. Subscribe to and spread iScot magazineGet informed. Let us know if you want to run a training event. Start a Salvo group. And finally, if you can, come along to the Yestival on the 8th. We’ll see you there. We will win this. Yours for Scotland Salvo SalvoSalvo, AB12 3NU, Aberdeen. salvo.scotThis email was sent to iain.lawson27@gmail.comYou’ve received it because you’re a Salvo memberUnsubscribe |
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Yours for Scotland
Welcome to my long-awaited blog page. Friends have been urging me to do this for years but the technology frightened me. Now thanks to Dave Beveridge and my oldest daughter Laura I am finally in business.
This blog will be totally pro-Independence for Scotland and I hope to comment on all the topical issues of the day using a bit of humour and controversy wherever I can.
I hope you find it an entertaining and informative read and will recommend it to your friends.
www.yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
