Lessons from Caerphilly will help shape Alba’s road to Holyrood

ALBA Party delegates left conference in Dundee fired up despite issues with the heating in the hall.

A young speaker during a “max the Yes” rally that concluded the conference embodied the tone of the entire event with a poignant but inspiring speech.

He spoke of his father, who had been part of the independence movement on its journey from its early days. His father had sadly passed away without seeing his life’s dream realised. The speaker said he was angered by failures to progress the cause in recent years but that he was determined to see independence happen in his father’s memory.

The rally had commenced with Dave Thompson, another independence stalwart, detailing his own journey for our cause, which he has pursued with determination and dignity since his boyhood days in Lossiemouth.

It has taken him from days when there were virtually no pro-independence elected representatives at any level through to himself serving with distinction in the Scottish Parliament.

But as with the young speaker who would follow, he was frustrated at what happened after stepping down from elected office. He bequeathed a safe seat to Kate Forbes, but continued to pursue our life-long cause through other groups. Yet not only was progress not being made but the gains he had made in winning a constituency seat were also being imperilled.

Similar comments were made the day before when Renfrewshire councillor Andy Doig addressed the hall. He spoke on behalf of himself and other independent councillors who are endorsing List Vote Alba for the Holyrood election next year.

Graeme McCormick, yet another stalwart of the independence cause, attended and mingled with delegates. Sadly, timing precluded him being able to address the rally, which was a matter of much regret to delegates.

Alba members have watched with admiration and respect as he and other colleagues in the SNP have fought to try to ensure that next year’s vote is made a plebiscite election. He would have been assured a warm reception.

But Mike McKenzie, another former MSP and an Alba member, was able to speak about these efforts. Moreover, Alex Neil, the former SNP health secretary, provided a video recording calling on the SNP leadership to “think again” on its strategy.

It’s certainly to be hoped for Scotland’s sake that John Swinney will do so. The need for independence has never been greater and support has almost never been higher.

The latest poll showing 55% is more than double where it was when Alex Salmond embarked on the journey to the referendum in 2011. The base vote is there, it’s solid – and, more importantly, it can be built on.

The Alba conference also expressed its delight at Plaid Cymru’s spectacular victory in the Caerphilly by-election last Thursday. It was especially pleasing for me to see Lindsay Whittle elected. I first met him four decades ago. Then, he was one of a hardy band keeping the cause of Wales alive in the Labour hegemony of the Welsh Valleys.

I can’t help but feel that this is a seminal moment for our Welsh colleagues. Labour’s vice-like grip is broken and Plaid are poised to strike. They can rally all Wales, not just Caerphilly, against Reform UK next May and we should be doing so in Scotland.

It has to be a plebiscite election in Scotland next year because the spectre of Reform UK still haunts England. A by-election there would have been another story. But the size of the Reform vote in Caerphilly, where the party finished second, cannot be ignored either.

Scotland has been under the heel of appalling UK governments on many an occasion. Those of us who lived through the Thatcher years thought nothing could possibly surpass them. But along came Johnson, Truss and now Starmer – and Farage would be the nadir.

His tenure could well replicate Cromwell more than any recent UK prime minister. As the Lord Protector laid waste to our land, so Farage would privatise our NHS, cull workers’ rights and threaten the existence of our Parliament.

That’s why Alba – besides endorsing radical policies on issues from farming and fishing through to housing and energy – committed to a list vote for independence parties being the mandate.

Scotland is not a resource simply to be exploited. Our oil continues to be extracted but our refinery shut. Billions to the Treasury but a P45 for Scottish workers. Now our renewable energy is to be taken, with our environment trashed.

There comes a time when we have to say enough is enough. We’re through with asking, we’re through with suffering and we’re through with being exploited.

Alba will work with colleagues across the independence movement, as we showed at the rally and throughout our conference.

The time for independence is now. We won’t risk splitting the constituency vote as the risk for our cause is too great. But we’ll be standing in every regional list and to maximise the Yes vote it has to be List Vote Alba.