LIKE a river they flowed through the ancient and modern city, down towards the great Tay that made Dundee.

An irrepressible surge of Saltire-bedecked humanity coursed through the City of Discovery, a torrent of happy and expectant diverse people, all finding common cause as they marched for independence All Under One Banner (AUOB).

From Baxter Park out they poured, a flood of blue and white, with the word Yes emblazoned everywhere, teeming down to near the silvery Tay along streets with names that spoke of Dundonian history – Reform Street, the Nethergate and Marketgate with the stunning new V&A building in the distance telling of a fabulous future for Dundee, the Yes city.

It was the biggest political rally in Dundee in decades, and followed the biggest ever political march in the Highlands at Inverness last month.

Aye, there’s no demand for independence, nobody wants a second referendum, it’s all a waste of time...

Tell that to the 16,000 who took part in the AUOB march and rally for independence on Saturday in Dundee, the fifth such march this year.

Now hear this Westminster. Tens of thousands will march in this nation’s capital on the first weekend of October. The message from Dundee on Saturday to those who naysay the cause is this – ignore us you can, dismiss us you may, but we are not going away and we will march until we drop.

There was no hatefest in Dundee on Saturday, just the pathetic sight of a known Holocaust denier blasting out his pro-Union message – how’s that for a spokesman for your cause –standing with a few chums in front of a statue of Desperate Dan.

Fittingly the Dundee march ended at Magdalen Green, that lovely swathe of grassland complete with bandstand above the Tay which has so often seen meetings and rallies in the cause of Dundee’s people.

The National spoke there to SNP MP Chris Law who said it made him proud to be Dundonian, while several marchers were full of praise for Dundee’s friendly police officers.

Yes Bikers made their usual thunderous entrance. Brian McKenna, 56, had biked up from Stewarton to say: “It’s absolutely great to be here with everybody supporting independence. We’ll be in Edinburgh.”

Nicola Hamilton, 40, from Glasgow, stood beside one of the city’s famous penguin statues and said: “This is my first march and it gets your Scottish blood pumping – I’ll be in Edinburgh.”

Maggie Dickson, 70, from Dundee, was also on her first march: “It’s fantastic. Everybody’s happy, everybody’s being made to feel welcome.”

Also from Dundee was 24-year-old Jordan McBride who voted Yes in 2014 and will do so again: “The atmosphere today has been brilliant, electric. It’s been a great day.”

One entire happy family was gathered around flagbearer John Fettes, but the matriarch Fay took charge to say this was no day out but a “family protest” for independence.

Under the banner of English Scots for Independence, Ray Crofter confirmed that they had received some of their biggest cheers ever: “this is the best march yet, and now we are looking forward to Edinburgh.”

There was a final sight that gladdened the heart – friends Gavin Wilson, a Celtic fan from Grangemouth and Rangers supporter Jim Kerr from Kilsyth under the banner of Old Firm for Independence. Now that could be a movement by itself.