A SERIES of national assemblies is being held by the SNP to allow party members to have their say on the independence papers, which look set to be published into summer next year.
The first of four online events will take place in September and the last is scheduled for June – giving an indication of the timescale of the release for the full independence prospectus.
Two other assemblies will take place in December and March, with tickets priced at £6 to help running costs of the event.
The move comes after the SNP NEC backed calls to hold a national assembly this summer.
SNP policy development convener Toni Giugliano, had written to SNP depute leader Keith Brown calling for the wider party to be given a chance to scrutinise the prospectus on independence, and for members to be given the opportunity to have their say.
On Tuesday he welcomed the announcement of the events, which are being billed as the "National Assembly – Building a New Scotland" series.
He said: “I’m delighted that national assemblies are being held on the back of the independence papers, because the party’s voice must be heard in this process.
“The papers are being pursued by Scottish Government officials and that is important, but the party’s voice must equally be heard and members must be consulted in that process. The members have a real stake in the prospectus for an independent Scotland.
“The national assemblies will also help to translate the key messages contained in the independence papers into useful doorstep messages that can be deployed during the referendum campaign.”
The announcement on the SNP website says National Assembly is a forum to allow members to exchange ideas for “for attaining the aims of the party and provide an opportunity for training.”
It says all events will be held virtually to maximise the accessibility but places will be limited.
The first national assembly will be held online on Saturday September 10, with the topic for discussion the first papers on independence which have been released by the Scottish Government.
The first in the series of independence papers published in June, was described as a “scene-setter” and highlighted economic areas where the UK is outperformed by a group of other independent European nations.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pledged indyref2 would be held "with or without" a Section 30 order granted by Westminster and later set out a route map to hold a vote on October 19, 2023.
The second paper was launched in July with a focus on democracy, arguing that Scotland's political institutions should be "respected, protected and strengthened".
The SNP website said in “order to continue to discuss all papers in the series”, national assemblies will also take place on December 3, March 4 and June 3.
