OVER the last several months the Yes movement has been submerged in a deep crucible of political turmoil with the brewing ascension of the parliamentary inquiry and the Hamilton investigation – and all that these processes entailed.

Never before has the Yes movement became so polarised, never before has a set of circumstances brought about such division that if sustained would have been a mighty blow to Scotland’s cause, with independence supporters blocking multitudes of other independence supporters on social media in a frenzy of hot-headed disagreement and argument.

During this chaotic time I made my own opinions clear on my personal Twitter account, and so I write as one of us who got involved as I saw fit – just like everyone did – and not as some lofty idealist who has no direct understanding or experience of what we have been through. During this period the organisation All Under One Banner (AUOB) completely refrained from getting involved, correctly choosing to stay out of the carnage. Thankfully we are now past that destructive zone, with all eyes fixed on the May 6 election.

To this end AUOB is calling an online event on Tuesday, April 6, to unite the tribes. The Yes movement unblocking day will be where all pro-independence social media accounts are encouraged to unblock as many other accounts as possible. This will greatly help reconnect us all as we approach the election – representing a significant first step towards healing the wounds we have all come to bear over the last few months.

The Yes Movement Unblocking Day will take place on the 701st anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath – which is internationally recognised as a defining moment in Scottish history when the country united, after decades of war, to declare the reinstatement of Scotland as an independent nation.

As such the Yes movement unblocking day resonates with the meaning of the anniversary. Independence campaigner Dave Llewellyn, who fully supports the initiative, has said: “On the anniversary of the declaration of Arbroath we need to stop blocking and unite the clans.”

Alison Watters, activist and campaigner, added: “It’s a good idea because as a movement we’ve spent the best part of a year arguing with each other and not focusing on our shared goal. We need each and every one of us to achieve independence and we should be focusing on working together for that instead of against each other over who supports which pro-independence party”.

The #YesMovementUnblockingDay has so far received significant private support, and so now that the AUOB initiative has been publicly launched it is hoped that everyone rallies to the banner of peace and fully participates on the day. Let us move forwards as one Yes movement.

Neil Mackay is the national organiser of All Under One Banner