IT seems highly appropriate that, on the day many supporters of independence are heading for Dumfries for the latest All Under One Banner march, we are spotlighting a local organisation that is one of the newest Yes DIY groups in the country.
First, though, the march. All preparations are in place and Manny Singh of All Under One Banner (AUOB) says he will be happy if between 1000 and 2000 people take part.
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Judging by social media and reports to us, we at the Yes DIY Hub think Manny is underestimating the turnout. While the crowd will be nothing like the 60,000 who took part in the Glasgow march and rally on May 5, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility for 4000 people or more to take part today – equivalent to nearly 10 per cent of the town’s population. Any more than that would be an astonishing success, given that Dumfries can be difficult to get to by rail and bus, though anyone standing on a bridge on the M74 north of the Beattock turn-off to the A701 today will see at least two large convoys of cars with Saltires waving and, of course, the large contingent of Yes Bikers who will bringing their own kind of thunder after yesterday’s storms. Start time is 12.30pm prompt from High Street south. The march ends in Dock Park where the rally will take place.
We revealed on Wednesday that AUOB are heading to march in Dundee on August 25 – keep an eye on The National for more big news about another huge AUOB event soon.
READ MORE: All Under One Banner march heads for Dumfries
The new local group marching today is Dumfries and Galloway Pensioners for Independence, a newly formed non-party-political group of people of, or approaching, pension age. They told us: “Many of us are Yes voters, some of us are Scots, some are English, some are of Irish descent – all new Scots. But some of us voted Naw last time, and have changed our minds in the intervening period. We have got our information from a wide variety of sources and nobody is pulling the wool over our Ayes any more, with fake news and untruths.
“We all believe passionately Scotland will flourish as an independent nation, and that decisions about Scotland’s future should be taken in Scotland, by the Scottish people.
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“Scotland can, as a nation in charge of its own future, be a safe, welcoming and prosperous place for all those who wish to live here. We want to make sure that many more people get the facts and we will be out listening to them and chatting all across Dumfries and Galloway.
“If you want to know more and follow our progress, please visit our website at: dgp4indy.scot and follow us on Twitter – boomers@dgp4indy – and on Facebook, Dgp4indy. Give us a wave on at the march and come and see us at our stand in Dock Park.”
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