Rally is a chance to show that FM is an inspirational speaker

That serves only to strengthen our resolve. The more serious danger is that posed by lethargy.

The task we have set ourselves is the recreation of modern Scotland as an independent country. It offers the potential for radical change and a recalibration of an economic system which considers the wellbeing of the many as less important than the enrichment of the few.

This task seeks to unlock the skills and resources within this country and put them into the service of the people who live here rather than the global money markets. We have embarked on the most thrilling, the most exciting, political mission for decades and it should inspire us towards ambition and bravery when we think of the achievements which are within our grasp.

That’s why I have such high hopes for the Believe in Scotland/Yes for EU march and rally at Edinburgh on Saturday, September 2. It is a chance for the wide Yes Movement to come together and show that our ambitions burn as brightly as ever … and we should seize it.

You might think this contradicts a column I wrote recently taking issue with criticisms from some independence supporters of activists who manned Yes stalls at a local community event instead of taking part in a larger All Under On Banner march a couple of miles down the road.

But there is no contradiction. We should take whatever action we think is most effective in any given situation. On that occasion there was a major march AND a Yes stall engaging with local people over the question of independence. Surely that’s a good outcome.

Let’s be clear. Mass events such as marches and rallies have their place in political campaigns and always have had. Many have entered the history books.

Two hundred unemployed marchers walked from Jarrow to Westminster in 1936. They took with them a petition signed by 12,000 people demanding a new steel works after the closure of Palmer’s shipyard, the main employer in the area.

It was a courageous tactic to highlight the scourge of unemployment and attracted widespread popular support. The prime minister of the day, Stanley Baldwin, was “too busy” to meet them after their 25-day march but it was later credited with fostering a change in attitudes and improved working conditions.

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It can be difficult to quantify the exact political effect marches have. In April 1961, 150,000 people took part in the Aldermaston march against nuclear weapons. A CND march in London in 1983 attracted an estimated 400,000. Britain still has nuclear weapons but marches like those in Aldermaston certainly helped inject the debate into mainstream political debate.

And further marches helped to keep it there.

The poll tax protests of 1990, when an estimated 200,000 people took to the streets of London, showed there were some injustices even normally complacent Brits would not put up with.

I still remember joining huge crowds in Glasgow at the beginning of the second People’s March for Jobs in April 1983. Then Labour leader Michael Foot spoke passionately that day. It’s hard to imagine Keir Starmer summoning the anger required to do the same now, a sign that the modern Labour Party has lost the ability to galvanise supporters to take to the streets.

Independence marches are not exactly the same as those historic events but they serve a number of purposes. Firstly, they are a very public display of the level of support for independence.

There are always disagreements between the police and organisers about the exact numbers but there can be no denying that the huge crowds attracted to AUOB marches just before the pandemic made for an impressive sight.

Secondly, marches can be inspirational for those taking part, which is no small thing. A feel-good moment for activists who have spent hours stuffing envelopes and trudging the streets delivering leaflets is both a reward and encouragement to keep spirits up.

Thirdly, who can be sure that some hearts will not be won over by good-natured independence supporters showing their passion while having fun? There are those who are deeply suspicious of the sight of so many flags but that antipathy is hardly shared by the huge crowds at festivals and sporting events, so I think we can relax a bit on that count.

Personally, I have had a great time at many of these marches and fully intend to do so again on

September 2. I’ve even organised a rally myself, for The National at Glasgow’s George Square in November 2019.

It certainly brought it home to me what exactly what was involved in putting mass events together. Toilets, toilets for people with disabilities, stewards, council permissions, staging, sound system, barriers, media facilities … the list is endless, as is the number of things that can go wrong.

I still wake up sweating and reliving the moment when Mhairi Black, the first speaker at that rally, began her speech and three-quarters of the crowd could not hear her. Desperate attempts to get the sound fixed did have some effect and eventually we managed to make sure the speeches could just about be heard at the back of the crowd.

I still meet people who tell me how much they enjoyed the event but that the sound was crap. That will haunt me forever. The rally was an attempt to add more political content to independence and switch the focus to passionate speeches. There were plenty of those that day – if you were in the crowd and couldn’t hear all of them you’ll just have to take my word for it – but one of the best was delivered by Humza Yousaf.

He held the audience in the palm of his hand with inspirational delivery and convinced me that day that he would make a worthy successor to Nicola Sturgeon as first minister.

I believe that has proved to be the case. He has not had the luxury of the honeymoon period new incumbents of important positions can normally expect.

The scars inflicted during the leadership election have not entirely healed and the never-ending police investigation into SNP finances must obviously have impacted on his and his party’s popularity.

The most recent opinion poll, published earlier this week by Survation, shows the gap between SNP and Labour closing to just 2% in Scotland, while support for independence remained steady at 48%. Polling guru John Curtice blamed the contrast between the SNP’s dip in popularity and the relative stability of independence support on the new First Minister’s inability to convince indy supporters he has what it takes to push it over the line.

I’m not sure there is evidence to support that theory. Quite why anyone committed to independence would vote for independence-phobic Labour is a mystery to me.

Regardless, Humza Yousaf will have the chance to show his mettle at the September 2 Edinburgh rally when he steps on stage with a strong line-up of speakers that also includes Succession star Brian Cox, my fellow National columnists Lesley Riddoch and Believe in Scotland founder Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp, singer Iona Fyfe and the Scottish Government’s Independence Minister Jamie Hepburn.

It’s exactly the right platform for the new First Minister to convince doubters that he can not only articulate the excitement and passion independence generates but also that he has the ideas and energy to break the campaign free of the stalemate in which it is currently bogged down.

I’m convinced he will seize the opportunity to recapture the giddy excitement of 2014, when the prospect of independence gripped Scotland in a political reawakening which saw debate and discussion rage in pubs, clubs and cafes all over the country.

There have been millions of leaflets delivered since then, thousands of public meetings, doors knocked, stalls set up. Elections have come and gone, along with politicians. There has been good news and disappointments. We have been told we cannot have another referendum and that Westminster can overrule our government. Democracy has been undermined. And yet so beguiling is the excitement of independence we still believe it will – must – come. Finally it will be that excitement that will win the day.