ALBA call for direct action to deliver progress on Independence

The General Secretary of Alex Salmond’s Alba Party has called for Westminster to be ground to a halt and for peaceful direct action to be held in the new year.

Alba’s General Secretary Chris McEleny says that “it is time to act to bend Westminster to the will of Scotland”.

McEleny said “As we look to 2023, in what will be a pivotal year, the Independence movement must use every democratic, and constitutional route open to us, including parliamentary disruption, diplomatic initiative and direct action on the streets to assert the right of the people of Scotland to decide our own constitutional future.”

The comments from Alba’s General Secretary are an indication that the pro-independence party intend to up their campaign activity into the new year.

Commenting today (Thursday) ALBA Party General Secretary Chris McEleny said:

“The ruling by the Supreme Court to reject, not just the Scottish Parliament’s legal right to hold an Independence referendum, but to go even further, in denying the ancient nation of Scotland’s right to self-determination will go down as one of the key defining moments of 2022.

“But we should be in no doubt that the Supreme Court ruling and the UK Government’s ongoing refusal to transfer the power to the Scottish Parliament to hold an Independence referendum pose challenges to the Yes movement which we have a duty to meet head on.

“Either the Westminster Parliament is sovereign or the people of Scotland are sovereign. It cannot be both.

“How then should the Yes movement respond? The aim must be to bend Westminster to the will of the Scottish people. But for that to happen it will be necessary to utilise all of the tools at hand and to implement a clear strategy of parliamentary disruption, diplomatic initiative and to take direct action - on the streets of London if necessary.

“Each of these tactics has a part to play in driving home the message that the people of Scotland are sovereign and that Scotland’s democracy will not be silenced.

“ ALBA has shown in the last year, when it disrupted Prime Minister’s Questions, what two MPs can do to command parliamentary and media attention, if they are determined to do so. Just think what more could have been achieved if the 40-plus SNP MPs were to exert their political muscle, day in and day out, at Westminster. Scottish MPs could grind Westminster to a standstill every single day until Westminster accepts Scottish democracy and peaceful action outside of the Parliament in London would open the world’s eyes to the cause of Scotland.

“In the coming year ALBA will be setting out ways in which the Independence movement can give voice to Scotland’s democratic right to choose its own future and challenging others to follow our lead.”

Alba Party will be holding another independence assembly in the new year as a follow-up to the party’s emergency independence conference earlier this month. The reconvened assembly will be held in Edinburgh on Saturday 14th January. Members of the public can attend by registering on the following link: www.albaparty.org/special-assembly-2023