SPEAKERS at the upcoming All Under One Banner demonstration in Dumfries have emphasised the necessity of such marches to keep morale high within the Scottish independence movement.
Taking place on June 11 under the demand "Dissolve the Union", the procession will culminate in a rally featuring a range of local activists and discussion of issues with particular relevance to the community, including poverty and political representation amongst pensioners. A collection is also being organised by First Base Foodbank, whose representative Mark Harper will be amongst the speakers.
READ MORE: All Under One Banner ramps up preparations for independence march in Dumfries
Also speaking will be SNP MSP Emma Harper (below), who told The National: “When we last had a pro-indy rally in Dumfries in 2018, over 10,000 people from across Scotland assembled and marched through the Town in support of Scotland taking our place on the world stage as a normal, independent, European nation.
“The UK system of democracy is broken beyond repair. We have a UK Government intent on hard-right policies which punish the most vulnerable people in our society and a prime minister who lies to Parliament and then changes the UK ministerial code to save his own political skin.
"We have a House of Lords where 773 unelected peers are paid £350 per day when they endeavour to show up for a minimum required 20 minutes, while the rest of the country struggles to pay their household bills and put meals on the table. And because of the UK’s archaic two-party political pendulum, this isn’t going to change.
“Scotland can, and must, have the opportunity to decide our own future and, quite frankly, Boris Johnson, nor any anyone else, has any right to deny democracy for the people of Scotland.”
READ MORE: Independent Scotland can work for the overlooked
Lynn Macdonald of the All Under One Banner national committee commented: “The role of marches is to keep a high profile for the cause of independence - to keep it in the minds of politicians and the public alike.
“They provide a forum for the movement to network and exchange ideas and information, not least it keeps the morale high of hard-working activists and independence supporters in the face of continued delays in announcing an actual campaign.”
Chick McKenna of Dumfries and Galloway Pensioners for Independence, who will also be in attendance, added: “A visible presence on the streets is a very useful way of showing that there is support for the movement, particularly so down here in South West Scotland where we endure the collective ignorance, sycophancy and lack of concern displayed by the Tory incumbents in both Holyrood and Westminster.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel