THE pro- independence Business for Scotland (BfS) group is rolling out its latest marketing campaign – Believe in Scotland – to offer convincing and irrefutable answers to support the independence cause.
It takes the form of a co-ordinated blizzard of facts and figures that the Yes movement can use to argue the positive case for independence by challenging Unionist assumptions and misrepresentations.
The new campaign has been long in the planning and is designed to back up an indyref2 to be held in autumn 2020. It will now build on the growing momentum demonstrated by the scale of yesterday’s rally in Glasgow and the forthcoming General Election that is now only weeks away.
The first free starter packs go out this week to almost 50 Yes groups who have already signed up. The main book, retailing at £7.50, has been delayed to include a comprehensive Brexit section but a smaller abridged version is available for £3.50 alongside free features including a mobile app and online quiz.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon issues rallying cry for indyref2 at National event
BfS founder and chief executive Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp said: “This is a level of campaign we have never seen before. We asked the Yes movement what they needed to change minds and counter scaremongering and this is the result. The aim is to inform and educate on the true state of Scotland’s economy and its finances – what are its strengths and what causes its weaknesses – and one of those weaknesses is undoubtedly being a member of the UK.
“There were so many misrepresentations in the 2014 referendum campaign when the truth is that Scotland is perfectly capable standing alone as an independent state. People are hungry for facts and the facts show that Scotland has a healthy, thriving economy in good financial health despite the deficit created by being part of the UK.
“The likely effect of Brexit makes independence the economic opportunity of a lifetime for Scotland. If people think that Scotland has a deficit and that is why we can’t become independent that would be bizarre, because any impartial study of Scotland finances shows that Scotland only has a deficit because it’s part of the UK.”
Believe in Scotland has evolved from Scotland the Brief, a string of illustrated economic facts delivered on social media that quickly showed their value by attracting more than four million views and shares over the last two years.
The format may be different but the message is the same – to provide people with everything they need to know about economics, independence and Brexit consequences.
Written in layman’s terms, the books summarise the in-depth investigation into the breadth, structure and quality of Scotland’s economy by the research team at BfS, which has collated more than 400 meticulously sourced and verified facts, any one of which is enough to burst the Unionist anti-independence bubble.
MacIntyre-Kemp added: “The fact is that you cannot truly understand Scotland’s economy and its finances until you have read Scotland the Brief.
“The truth has been hidden by a combination of accounting practices, misinformation and outright scaremongering and we explain why such misinformation exists. We also take an in-depth look into the UK Government’s economic record, which we compare to other western and northern European nations with frankly quite shocking results.”
BfS is paying for the cost of the campaign materials. Local Yes groups can register for a free campaign starter pack that can be used to raise funds by selling the books. It is estimated the campaign has the potential to raise £100,000 overall for local Yes groups You can purchase the books online via BfS or from local Yes groups, from which Yes groups receive the profit. Mugs, magnets, badges and car stickers can only be bought as part of a gift pack from BfS or individually from local Yes groups.
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