“No Sense” In Scottish Government Decision Not To Pursue Independence Mandate

ALBA Party Leader, ALEX SALMOND has said the independence debate must not be allowed to go cold as he questioned why it is deemed safe to hold EURO 2020 and Glasgow’s COP26 Climate Conference but not a referendum on Scottish independence.

Salmond made the comments whilst announcing that his ALBA Party would be holding its inaugural conference in September at Greenock Town Hall.

The ALBA Party Leader said that if the constitutional issue is not progressed then come September “the wind from the River Clyde will be blowing firmly in ALBA’s direction” as his party aim to heat up the Scottish independence debate.

Greenock Town Hall sits in the heart of the most deprived area of Scotland. In the 2020 SIMD deprivation figures, Central Greenock was ranked as Scotland’s most deprived data zone. ALBA’s decision to hold their inaugural conference there sets out a marker that they will be putting a strong focus on addressing poverty and inequality in Scotland ahead of next year's local Council elections.

In the recent Scottish elections, the party campaigned on a “5 Point Plan” to eradicate poverty in Scotland which they believed to be the most radical policy offering any party had made to address the root causes of deprivation and inequality in Scotland.

Speaking outside Wembley Stadium in advance of this evening's crucial England vs Scotland match Salmond said that pending Covid restrictions he hoped that upwards of 750 delegates would be able to attend his party’s Conference.

Since the Scottish Parliament elections ALBA has saw it’s membership continue to grow on a weekly basis and the party believe that come September it will overtake the Greens and Scottish Conservatives in membership size.

Commenting Salmond said:

“ It strikes me as passing strange that if you can hold Euro 2020, if you can hold a Scottish election, and if you can hold the COP26 summit in Glasgow, then why on Earth can’t you hold a Scottish Independence referendum? Perhaps the requisite enthusiasm is not there to push that case forward because the constitutional issue has gone cold since the Scottish election and we’ve got to heat it up again.

“ If our suspicions are confirmed then come September the wind from the River Clyde will be blowing firmly in ALBA’s direction at our historic inaugural conference in Greenock Town Hall.”

ALBA’s Interim General Secretary Chris McEleny said:

“ All ALBA party members that join the party before the end of June will be entitled to attend the ALBA Conference which will be held on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September. I am delighted to have secured Greenock as the location for the conference and will be setting out in the coming weeks how our members can help shape the agenda of the conference and our policy direction going forward. “

Notes:

A) ALBA Party’s inaugural conference will be held in Greenock Town Hall on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September. Further details will be released in early July in regards to registration

B) ALBA Party members will elect the party’s National Office Bearers in the lead upto the inaugural conference and the results will be announced on the opening day of the conference. Conference delegates will elect the party’s inaugural national executive of ordinary members

C).ALBA’s 5 Point Plan to tackle poverty:

1.Introduce an Annual £500 payment to assist half a million low earnings households in Scotland.

2.Increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week for 400,000 children in quarter of a million households.

3.Extend free school meals to all primary and secondary pupils in Scotland.

4.Double the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) from £30 to £60 for 16-19 year olds in school and college.

5.Introduce universal access to sports facilities for all children and young people under 18.