It was perhaps Nicola Sturgeon’s words that stirred me into action more than anything else: ‘don’t wake up after the referendum and wish you’d done more’ the Deputy First Minister warned. A clever rallying call to the not-so-ardent-Nat to get involved in the referendum campaign more.
And so I thought I would go about joining Yes Edinburgh, in keeping with the apparent Yes Scotland strategy that campaigns should be local. The only problem I had was, how does one go about joining…?
I turned to Google in the first instance, naturally, but the first result upon typing ‘Yes Edinburgh’ into the search field was the Yes Sushi on Hanover Street. A fine place I’m sure, but it’ll only be changing constitutions if the salmon’s out of date.
The second Google result took me to the Edinburgh Central SNP website, a crucially separate beast to Yes Scotland (I hope). Results 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were all Yes Sushi again and there was something about the independence rally in there on the BBC too at result 9, Yes Edinburgh West had an event at result 5 but this turned out to be a dead end.
This wasn’t going so well, Yes Edinburgh could do with a website it seems.
I then figured that the main Yes Scotland website would be more helpful. There was no clear route forwards after landing on the front page though. I can ‘become an ambassador’ but that sounds a bit too much too soon, I can ‘donate’ of course and I can ‘sign the Yes declaration’ which I’ve done already. I just want to join the Yes Edinburgh entity which surely exists in some form.
I then spot the Groups down the right hand side. There are options for ‘New Scots’, ‘Labour’, ‘LGBT’, ‘Eco Scots’, ‘Youths/Students’ and ‘Women’ amongst others. It seems Yes Scotland is an alliance of supposed minorities. Maybe I should start a ‘quite well-off, white, straight male’ group but I fear that might not go down so well. Anyway, I’m looking to be a Yes Scotland lamb happily following the herd, not a wolf dictating terms.
I turn to the ‘Events’ section of the Yes Scotland website, thinking that if I want to go to an Event in the future, this would be the place to look. I search within 10 miles of my postcode in Leith and am disheartened to see that the first event was June 2nd 2012. The website doesn’t discard events in the past. I have to click ‘Next’, one by one, through several pages to get to future events. I do wonder how many waverers would be committed enough to bother.
I persevere.
There is a ‘What could equality look like in an Independent Scotland?’ event on the other side of the city later this month. Maybe I’ll go, I’ve had my fingers burnt at a rather insubstantial Nat back-patting event recently though. Maybe I won’t, but either way I’ve not joined anything yet or gotten onto a mailing list. The next event incidentally is way off in March, a ‘Forum on Inter Independence, Scottish Self-Determination and Constructions of National Identity’ which, I’m sorry, sounds as exciting as reading Scottish Parliament committee minutes from 2002. The forum costs £5 to attend, if anyone reading is interested.
Beginning to get a bit fed up with this process, I turn to Twitter. Perhaps that’s the avenue for people wishing to get a bit more involved? The good news was that a ‘YesEdinburgh’ Twitter account exists, the bad news is that there is scant information about what it does or when it meets. That the last tweet was on November 24th doesn’t bode well. Still, I gave it a follow and self-delusionally chalked that up as a half hour well spent.
I began to remember when I first tried to join the SNP in Edinburgh many moons ago, and the lack of opportunities to do so on the internet. I honestly can’t remember how I managed to do it in the end but I found that some individual personalities seemed quite closed minded and happy to be big fish in a small pond, a mentality that won’t attract new recruits to the Yes campaign nor move the polls in the weeks and months to come. So the world turns on and my enthusiasm to join Yes Edinburgh dims, for today at least.
Sorry Nicola.
Many pundits argue that the road ahead for Yes Scotland is a long and winding one. I can testify that the road to Yes Scotland is just as arduous.
#1 by Peter A Bell on January 6, 2013 - 8:09 pm
It took me three seconds to find a contact email address for Yes Edinburgh West.
#2 by Jeff on January 6, 2013 - 8:14 pm
I don’t live in Edinburgh West, and that’s kind of beside the point. Are the local Yes Scotland groups pulling in members in the numbers that they should be? On my own experiences, I would have to conclude not.
#3 by Peter A Bell on January 6, 2013 - 8:43 pm
How typical is your experience? Would it be all that unreasonable to expect that someone genuinely interested might spend as much as a minute or two looking for information?
Bear in mind also that many, perhaps most, of these groups are still in the early stages of organisation. They build from the bottom up, starting with a core group of volunteers. This core group then decides on a strategy suited to local conditions. That strategy will include efforts to attract more members.
Bear in mind also that for groups formed towards the end of 2012 the holiday period has intervened. Expect to see lots more happening in the next couple of months.
Local groups are not mere franchises of the main Yes Scotland organisation. That’s not how it works.
#4 by Peter A Bell on January 6, 2013 - 8:13 pm
Another 15 seconds effort was rewarded with a contact email address for Yes Edinburgh – http://bit.ly/WmsjUa
#5 by Jeff on January 6, 2013 - 9:49 pm
Buried deep in the bowels of past Events. But well found nonetheless.
#6 by HenBroon on January 6, 2013 - 8:54 pm
I think this one is from the same file as the one about the chap working in the tartan shop on the mile.
Given that we are still some way from Referendum 2014, I think you are being a wee bit peevish in your assessment. Idea, why do you not start a group in your area?
“Think not what Scotland can do for you, but what you can do for Scotland?”
#7 by EyeEdinburgh on January 6, 2013 - 9:37 pm
The thing that still sporadically bugs me – more than it probably should – is that I can’t follow @YesScotland on Twitter, because they have set up the software they use on http://www.YesScotland.net to feature Twitter followers as “Already thousands have followed Yes Scotland, here are some of them…”
The implication is that if you follow @YesScotland that means you support Yes Scotland: it allows no wiggle room for neutrals / undecideds.
TwitCleaner’s tips for improvement for @yesScotland:
” -They’re tweeting the same URLs way too often. They should try to mix it up a little. Chat to people, retweet (RT) others & so on.
-They’ve not recently retweeted anyone. Retweeting is a great way to say thanks & pass respect to others on Twitter.
-They should try to talk to people more – reply to those that talk to them, engage the people they follow. This is how you build genuine, valuable connections with the Twitter community.”
(By contrast, TwitCleaner’s report on @UK_Together was “You know? There’s nothing obvious we can suggest. They’re frickin’ awesome! Twitter loves them, we love them & I’ll bet their followers love them too!”)
Given how many YesScot supporters are on Twitter/engaged in social media, how could they have managed to mess up their Twittering so badly? (You also show up on the YesScotland.net site as a supporter if you make the mistake of “Liking” them on Facebook.)
Not that I think the referendum will be won on social media. But I do find it indicative of the way the YesScotland campaign works that they are going out of their way to discourage interaction online between their campaign and those neutral/undecideds….
And it’s not just online. There have been events which sounded interesting, about discussing the future for Scotland, which I have found myself unable to register for because the event specifies that it’s for people who intend to vote “Yes” – not for people who’ve yet to make their mind up.
#8 by Jeff on January 7, 2013 - 6:16 pm
Well said. A classic SNP trick to over reach in a hyperbolic kind of way. I do hope they don’t scare too many waverers off by ‘claiming’ them going forwards.
#9 by Peter A Bell on January 7, 2013 - 7:40 pm
Hard to know where to start with this load on ill-informed nonsense. Let’s just take the vacuous comparison between @YesScotland and @UK_Together. what you completely fail to recognise is that YesScotland is not a single entity. Rather, it is merely the umbrella organisation for 100+ quite distinct groups. A number which is growing daily.
Each of these groups has its own social media presence. So a meaningful comparison would have to be between @UK_Together and all of these Twitter accounts combined.
Quite why you would want a way of surreptitiously following YesScotland is for you to explain. And the “Like” button on Facebook is pretty self-explanatory.
#10 by Jeff on January 7, 2013 - 8:08 pm
An umbrella group is still an entity.
#11 by Braco on January 9, 2013 - 5:13 pm
I know, I know EyeEdinburgh. The whole thing is just impossible isn’t it!
#12 by wangi on January 6, 2013 - 10:05 pm
Facebook…
#13 by Fraser Thompson on January 6, 2013 - 10:47 pm
Local Yes groups are very much in their infancy as people from all parties and none come together.
Yes Edinburgh was formed last month at a public meeting and is being organised along council constituency boundaries. I am sure more information will flow out over the next month.
#14 by Indy on January 7, 2013 - 9:12 am
I think your second sentence sums the problem up because you can’t “join” Yes Scotland at all. It is not a membership organisation. I think there are good reasons for that – if it was a membership organisation it would need to be properly constituted, it would need office bearers, it would need a schedule of meetings etc. No-one really wants that because it’s a waste of time and not really necessary when Yes Scotland is an umbrella body which other membership organisations are a part of.
But clearly you also need people to take charge of the organisation. In most parts of the country that is being led by local SNP folks. Not sure what the problem is in Edinburgh but let’s hope they get it sorted.
You will never be able to join Yes Scotland though.
#15 by Jeff on January 7, 2013 - 6:14 pm
Good point Indy, it’s not a political party. That said, I should be able to ‘join up’, ‘sign up’ or whatever you want to call it easier than this. Perhaps this is the problem with loose alliances, too many people fall through the cracks.
Not that I’m bothered on a personal level I hasten to add, I just wonder if this is a big issue for Yes Scotland if it’s being replicated across the country…
#16 by Peter A Bell on January 7, 2013 - 7:45 pm
You can sign up. What do you think the Declaration is for? Sign the Declaration and that’s you part of Yes Scotland. (Have to resist the temptation to end with, “Simples!!)
#17 by Jeff on January 7, 2013 - 8:08 pm
I have signed the declaration, can’t say I received any emails or anything off the back of it.
#18 by Peter A Bell on January 7, 2013 - 8:40 pm
If you’ve signed the Declaration then you have a point person. You’ll find them identified at the bottom right after signing in. Once you become active with a local group your point person will be the local group co-ordinator. From what I understand, there are a number of groups in Edinburgh. Your current point person is there to provide assistance in contacting the relevant group.
I say again, although things are moving fast many (most?) of the local groups are still in the early stages of formation. It seems a bit petty to complain about the difficulty of contacting an organisation which may not yet exist.
#19 by Angus McLellan on January 9, 2013 - 1:50 am
That’s pretty weird Jeff because I get regular emails, and my sole contribution to date has been to sign the declaration. Checked your spam/bin? Or maybe you unticked all the “please email me updates” stuff?
#20 by Peter A Bell on January 7, 2013 - 8:07 pm
It is quite wrong to say that YesScotland local groups are being “led by local SNP folks”. When we had the inaugural meeting for the Yes Perth & Kinross Group, about 140 people turned up. Only a small minority were members of any political party at all and SNP members were a subset of that minority.
A quite deliberate effort was made to include non-SNP people in the core volunteer group – a kind of “central committee”, for want of a better term. Although that sounds way to formal for the way things actually work. It stands to reason that there are a few SNP members involved.
It would be very odd if this were not so. But the core group also includes a representative of the local Greens and a former Conservative counsellor as well as people from the voluntary sector and the emergency services. There’s a fairly even balance between men and women – I think women are in the majority. There are people from various parts of Perth and Perthshire. And the the age range is from under 18 to 60+. In short, a pretty representative mix.
I might add that the group does not have direct access to any local SNP branch resources and holds its meetings in a neutral location rather than on SNP premises.
I hope this goes some way to dispelling the inane myths about Yes Scotland being no more than a front for the SNP. It’s very far from that. If you want to see an organisation that is no more than a front for a political party then you should look at Better Together. It’s principal purpose is to funnel Tory money to British Labour in Scotland.
#21 by Iain Menzies on January 7, 2013 - 9:05 pm
because all of scotland is JUST like perth and kinross.
#22 by Braco on January 9, 2013 - 4:44 pm
I don’t think Peter A Bell implied that. Perth and Kinross is however a part of Scotland and as such qualifies as a location from which to live and report from on the pros and cons of the two vying campaigns. Do you have a map of Scotland or maybe Britain to show us all where qualifies as JUST like the whole of Scotland? Your attitude seems to speak volumes to the point I think Peter is addressing.
#23 by Indy on January 8, 2013 - 11:45 am
I don’t think it is quite wrong because in most parts of the country the left parties/Greens don’t have a leaflet distribution system or even in some cases an electronic copy of the electoral register. I am sure that many of those folks would be quite happy to acknowledge that organisationally the SNP has more experience. That doesn’t imply political leadership. People need to distinguish between on the ground organisation and political direction. If the local Yes Scotland organisation is not making use of the legendary North Tayside election machine then frankly they are chumps!
#24 by Jacq Kelly on January 7, 2013 - 11:24 am
This is a separate issue, but the use of italics all the way through the posts on this site makes it pretty hard to read. It isn’t brilliant for accessibility. I end up copying and pasting it into word, but it’s not really the way I want to use the internet if I’m honest.
#25 by Jeff on January 7, 2013 - 6:11 pm
A typo rather than a conscientious decision there Jacq, thanks for pointing out. I’ve now deleted the rogue “
#26 by Stewart Kirkpatrick on January 8, 2013 - 4:28 pm
Some fair points there, Jeff. As chance would have it, at Yes Scotland we have been examining how to improve the “get involved” elements of the site. Watch this space. Also, in response to EyeEdinburgh’s comments I have changed the wording at the bottom of the Yes Scotland homepage to further emphasise that people are not counted as supporters just because they follow us on Twitter.
#27 by Jeff on January 12, 2013 - 10:21 pm
Wonderful Stewart, thanks for that. You can’t beat feedback from the top.
#28 by Grahamski on January 9, 2013 - 7:12 am
Jeff
Why not contact your local SNP branch?
Same folk, different hats…
#29 by Jacq Kelly on January 9, 2013 - 2:11 pm
Yay – thanks! That’s much better.
#30 by Braco on January 9, 2013 - 4:27 pm
Yes Jeff I know how you feel. I myself was raring to go with this ‘Independence for my Country’ thing and then as soon as I sat down at my computer to do something about it, (yes a new years resolution, how about you?) nothing but difficulties and problems lay in front of me. Unbelievable! This ‘Self determination’ brand really needs to work on it’s consumer interface compatibilities. Eventually I thought to myself, ‘hardly seems worth it’ and instead sat down to write an article about all the tiresome obstacles being set up by the ‘Yes’ campaign to try and keep me from participating. I haven’t actually got as far as the article yet but with you as inspiration I am sure it won’t be long. Maybe sitting down and actually writing an article myself is not worth the hassle though as you have already done such a lovely job. So many thanks Jeff for a great and inspirational read and now I suppose I can cross the whole thing off my list.