YES DUNFERMLINE & West Fife was set up prior to the 2014 referendum.
It covers the area in the Holyrood constituency with the same name. We suspended activities after the referendum for about a year, re-convening after the 2015 General Election.
Since then, we have held open meetings roughly once a month – less frequently during election campaigns.
We often invite speakers to lead discussion on a wide range of topics connected in some way to Scottish independence.
Some examples are currency, economics, Common Weal, sovereignty, land Reform, Annual Ground Rent, colonialism and contemporary Scottish fiction. Prior to the last Holyrood election, we heard from all pro-independence candidates standing for regional list seats.
We hold street stalls, usually in Dunfermline but sometimes in villages like Oakley and Valleyfield, when it is appropriate. For example, on Days of Action, whether called by the SNP or Believe in Scotland.
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A feature of our stalls has frequently been an “Opinion Board” which is a magnetic whiteboard with a topical question at the top. Members of the public are invited to give their opinion by sticking a small magnetic button on the board.
This serves as an “ice-breaker” and often leads to longer conversations as well as acting as a visual statement to passers-by as to how popular opinion is going. The most recent one, as part of Believe in Scotland’s Day of Action with a European theme, asked if Scotland is better off as a result of Brexit.
The main issues raised at the stall and on the doorstep are the perceived shortcomings of the Scottish Government as reported in the media – Ferries, BiFab, NHS, education and current issues rather than the future of the country.
Much time is spent trying to re-balance these negative views but the impression I often get is that they are justifications for rejecting independence, not reasons. The real reasons are much harder to unearth. People don’t want to know that the situation in the other parts of the UK is often much worse.
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Recently, as a result of a funding commitment by the local SNP, we have set up a hub called “Yes in the City”. It is open to all independence supporters and staffed by volunteers. It can be used for small meetings and can be set up as a video studio.
To encourage younger people to become involved, we recently invited Kelly Given to be our guest speaker, and some members of our group are embarking on two video projects – aimed at viewers of all ages but including younger ones.
One is a weekly podcast on YouTube entitled “Yes in the City Show” in which two presenters are in conversation with an invited guest; the other is a series of short reports called “Future Voices” in which professional presenters deliver imagined reports about what life is like 10 years after Scotland becomes independent.
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