Statement on Believe in Scotland “March and Rally”

Supporters will note that the above event has been advertised and that no speaker from Alba Party will be present. 

The organisation has claimed that Alba Party were asked to participate - in the knowledge according to them that if Alba Party did participate then the Scottish Greens would refuse to participate as they have a conference resolution mandate not to share a platform with the pro independence Alba Party - and that as Alba Party, they claim, did not respond they then invited the Scottish Greens. 

The claims from Believe in Scotland are inaccurate and misleading. 

On 7th February Alba Party received an invite via text message from Mr Gordon Macintyre Kemp to address the rally. 

On 14th February our Alba Party Chair spoke with Mr Macintyre Kemp for close to 30 minutes on a variety of issues. 

During this call the Party Chair was advised that that Believe in Scotland  would dictate the speakers they would accept from Alba Party (and every other party apparently) and that they would only accept as speakers either the Party Chair Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh or our Depute leader Kenny MacAskill MP. 

Alba Party of course would have no issue with either representing the Party but the Chair was clear she would need to advise our NEC as we do not support a premise that means we do not get to choose ourselves who speaks on behalf of our Party. 

Believe in Scotland were advised that they would receive a response to the invitation after the next full meeting of the NEC. 

On 6th April the Alba Party NEC agreed the Party would be happy to attend the event and that Kenny MacAskill would be the speaker on behalf of the Party.

On 8th April it was confirmed to Gordon Macintyre Kemp that Alba Party Depute leader Kenny MacAskill MP would represent the Party at the rally. 

On 10th April we received an email back from Gordon Macintyre Kemp to say we were  “too late”. As seen from social media postings by Believe in Scotland they have stated that Alba Party cannot now be present at the rally as this is a condition of the Scottish Green Party’s involvement. 

Alba Party believe that all supporters of independence should come together to advance the cause of Scottish independence. We condemn in the strongest terms the exclusionary behaviour of the Scottish Green Party and express our disappointment in the Believe in Scotland organisation that it has allowed the Scottish Green Party to dictate to it which organisations and political parties they deem acceptable whilst simultaneously Believe in Scotland wish to have the power of veto over which speakers they will accept. 

Recently Lorna Slater, Co leader of the Scottish Green Party, has stated that for the Scottish Greens “independence is not a red line” as the Greens open the door to the prospects of the Scottish Green Party propping up the Labour Party after the next Scottish Parliament elections to return a unionist Scottish Government that the Greens would happily be a part of. It is therefore bizarre that Believe in Scotland would not allow a pro independence party to be part of its rally simply to appease the Scottish Greens. 

Alba Party have held over 100 pro independence meetings across Scotland in the past eighteen months. To our knowledge the Greens haven’t held a single meeting to promote the cause of Scottish independence. 

Alba Party speakers will be attending the All under one banner rally and the Hope Over Fear rally. 

Alba Party will be happy to provide speakers to any event that authentically aims to bring the grass roots of the independence movement together to ensure that the dream of independence shall never die.