Monday 9 September 2013

YES CAFE - 90 MINUTES OF QUESTIONS FOR SHONA & JOHN

Yes Dundee’s first Independence Café, on Saturday, threw up over 90 minutes of questions on independence from local people to SNP MSP Shona Robison and former Labour MP & MSP John McAllion, now with the Scottish Socialist Party.
After chats over coffee and home baking, Shona and John took questions and comments from a busy hall. Subjects covered were Scotland’s economy, the European Union, the media, and what happens if Scotland votes No. A lively debate round one table concluded that an independent Scotland could be a country of new ideas and that Dundee was the City of Discovery. They said we needed to get that positive, confident message out more effectively.

Shona Robison responded by setting out the Yes Dundee vision for a strong, confident Scotland, prosperous, business friendly, bringing new jobs to Dundee in the knowledge economy and renewables, taking care to look after those who could not work, and taking all the important decisions in Scotland for the benefit of Scotland.

Former SNP leader Gordon Wilson, from the floor, warned that voting 'No' did not mean that nothing would change. He said Westminster would “take its revenge”. “The Scottish budget - the Barnett Formula - will come under attack,” said Mr Wilson, “and if you are complaining of cuts now, just wait until two years after the referendum and you will find the teeth of the tiger are very sharp.”

John McAllion agreed, saying the only reason Scotland is getting extra attention from Westminster is the threat of independence; if people voted 'No' this time they would never get another chance. “Don’t look forward to winning a second referendum,” he said, “There won’t be one.” Mr McAllion also said significant numbers of Labour voters were ready to ignore their Party’s official line, and vote for independence.

Shona wound up the meeting by saying this would be the first of several Independence Cafés, and asked the audience to keep an eye on the newly launched YesDundee.net website for details.


13 comments:

  1. How on earth did they get away with this?

    I mean was there a NO cafe across the way?

    If not why not?

    Surely it was the responsibility of the YES cafe to ensure that there was a NO cafe across the way wan't it?

    Did the NO camp know about this YES cafe and did they complain about it being set up without a NO cafe being opposite it?

    Will we be seeing an outraged media coming out and accusing the YES cafe of behaving in an underhanded way over this?

    These are just some of the questions that I think we need answers to in the name of clarity and transparency you understand. lol

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    1. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... We kept it secret.

      It was in the middle of the night... you had to knock three times and ask for Esmerelda...

      But don't tell anyone, because we'll have to change the passwords to Murgatroyd if they catch on!!

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    2. They put an UK OK sign next to the EXIT sign to keep all things above board.

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    3. Yes, but they spelled it You Cock!

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    4. Phew!

      Glad we got all those pesky questions answered OK then. lol

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  2. That is one HUGE and LONG set of link text there Trisie!

    :D

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    1. Och, it was nothing, Dean. There's no end to the amount of stuff I can pinch from elsewhere!!

      :)

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    2. We have been saying for a while that the responsibility for the banking crisis lies in the country where the bank operated...under the legislation and regulation (or not) of that country.

      Also, if we had been independent it isn't unreasonable to suggest that we would have been in the same, or similar, financial situation as Norway.

      Who knows what our banking regulations would have been...who knows what kind of government it would have been (it wouldn't have been SNP), but we'd have probably had sufficient money to cover it in our wealth fund.

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  3. Hi Tris

    Looks like it was a good meeting and it was a great idea to have it. Answering questions from the public not just your own supporters, whatever next? Do you think it could catch on?

    What would make it even better (but not together) if it was either videoed or live streaming.

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    1. Hey Dubs...

      It's a novel idea. But I'm not sure it will catch on.

      I seem to remember someone asking questions of the BT lot in Baxter Park and getting his marching orders.

      Good to see that John was there. I always liked him.

      That's not a bad idea. I'm not sure if Shona or Joe will read this, but if they do...

      Or I'll mention it when next I see one of them.

      I even agreed with Gordon Wilson (a rarity for me). I don;'t think a no vote is a vote for the status quo, but you can bet that (IF) once they had a yes vote out of the way they would want to take advantage of the fact that there is sod all we could do about anything they did to us.

      Dunno what it would be, but a second chamber; removal of some powers; a refusal to allow another referendum?

      The Barnett Formula will almost undoubtedly go. Heaven knows what they would replace it with.

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