SINCE the date for the Supreme Court's indyref case verdict was announced, the number of rallies being held to react across Scotland has continued to rise.
Greenock, Orkney and Lochgilphead are the latest to join the 10 areas that were previously confirmed to be holding rallies, bringing the total up to 13 and consequently widening availability of events to activists.
The main rally is to be held at Holyrood and nine others will be held in Glasgow, Perth, Dundee, Selkirk, Inverness, Skye, Inverurie, Aberdeen and Dumfries.
The public can sign up to get notified of all the event details here.
Fiona Matheson, Yes Orkney convenor, told us why the group have decided to join the rest of the rallies on Wednesday 23.
She said: “It’s really difficult for any of us to get to rallies on the mainland. It’s nice to feel the vibe of connectivity from other people so when we saw the other places were having our own, we thought we could do something too.”
Robert Leslie, SNP candidate for Orkney & Shetland in the December 2019 General Election, will be speaking but the organisers are mindful of the harsh weather.
Matheson said: “Anybody is welcome to speak if they want, to make their views known, so it's an opportunity for everyone. It is Orkney though and we have been sitting with south easterly gales, wind and rain for the last two weeks and it’ll be outside so we are very conscious people might not want to stand around in the dark, in Orkney, in the middle of winter for too long – but we feel it is important that we make a gesture.”
The Yes Orkney convenor has been an activist from the age of 12 when she realised that Scotland was “a country without political power, and only a football team”, and would “rephrase that” Orkney is anti-independence – a view based on the area having the highest proportion of No voters with 67.2% in 2014.
She added: “Orcadians are very cautious politically – sometimes because we are separate from the industrial disputes of the mainland, we don’t feel very connected to maybe the turmoil that is going on in other people lives, but what has changed I think is the impact of Brexit.
“Our major traditional industries are farming and fishing – they are still the absolute foundation of the islands economy. People are felling increasingly uncomfortable and betrayed by what has happened by Brexit.”
The islands have long been a stronghold for LibDems, making it an outlier in Scotland’s political landscape.
Matheson, who resides in Stromness, says Orkney “acutely” feels the energy and cost of living crisis as they produce a major share of renewable energy, but still have some of the highest fuel poverty in the country.
Her message to activists across the country is: “It always makes a difference to speak out or be there in person – it can be hard work sustaining a movement like this through thick and thin. The encouragement of being together does help, so I encourage people to get out and show support – even through messages of support if you can’t make it.”
Greenock joined the rally list on Friday and is being organised by Yessers in Inverclyde. People attending are being asked to bring bright torches and fairy lights to light up Cathcart Square.
Lochgilphead is meeting at the Front Green in Lochgilphead at 12pm. They will be the first group to make their voices heard on the day with the rest of the rallies starting after 5pm. It is being organised by Aye Fyne and Yes Mid Argyll.
