INDEPENDENCE activists are meeting today for a major conference focused on policy and strategy.
Aberdeen Independence Movement (AIM) is hosting the Progress To Yes event at the city’s Altens Hotel.
Groups and speakers on the agenda range from the Radical Independence Campaign to Business For Scotland, with speakers including Aamer Anwar, Iona Fyfe and the SNP’s Toni Giugliano and Karen Adam.
The National will be hosting one of the panels kicking off the day – with a focus on the role of this paper and the media in indyref2.
News and features editor Laura Webster, reporter Abbi Garton- Crosbie and former editor Richard Walker will all be appearing.
On page 25 of today’s bumper Sunday National, you’ll also find a special eight-page conference supplement, featuring contributions from some of those in attendance, including AIM’s own Peter McColl.
SNP president Michael Russell has written on how Scotland’s nationalism and the nationalism of Downing Street differs.
Russell has had to pull out of the event itself after testing positive for Covid-19, with Stewart Hosie MP stepping in to replace him.
In a welcome to those attendance the conference published in the supplement, AIM writes: “We hope today will be a huge turning point for the movement. Bringing so many diverse groups together has not been easy, but boy it needed doing.
“Today aims to build a civic, progressive and winning Yes movement. This will not be easy and can only happen if we all come at this from a place of respect.
“We will not all agree on everything, and nor should we, but we should work together on what we agree on and agree to respect each other’s differences.
“We must accept that the progressive and civic tent is a big tent – not an exclusive one. Exclusive movements are not winning movements.”
Progress To Yes is being billed as the Yes movement’s “biggest grassroots conference ever”, kicking off campaigning efforts for a 2023 independence referendum.
Workshops, panels, speeches and presentations will take place across conference suites.
National editor Callum Baird said: “As lockdown restrictions have eased, we’ve seen Yessers desperate to get back into fully fledged campaigning action.
“The movement’s passion is something the Unionist camp will never be able to replicate, and so events like Progress To Yes, planning ahead on policy and campaigning, are key.
“The National will be in attendance, discussing the role of the media in indyref2 – we want to work with Yessers to help make the case to free ourselves from the toxic Westminster so perfectly encapsulated by Boris Johnson.”
Other groups represented at Progress To Yes include Believe In Scotland, Women For Independence, Broadcasting Scotland and Bella Caledonia.
It will run from 10am to 6pm, with sessions including a live recording of MP Drew Hendry’s Scotland’s Choice podcast, which airs every second Tuesday.
The day will begin with Stephen Flynn MP and councillor Fatima Joji introducing the event.
During the afternoon, Alyn Smith MP and guests will discuss defence and foreign policy in an independent Scotland, while Green MSPs Maggie Chapman and Gillian Mackay will discuss the progressive case for a Yes vote and climate change.
Progress To Yes will be rounded off after a raffle, auction and AIM announcements with a keynote speech.
