Faith without Works is Dead

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By Jason Michael

We are a baw hair’s width from independence. But the road has been long and people are exhausted. We all want a good wee moan, but this is the time to stand up, dust ourselves down, and get it finished.

Give me a penny for every time I have heard a scunnered independentista say we can’t do it, that now isn’t the right time, or something similarly defeatist and I would be a wealthy man. I’m fed up listening to people tell me we can’t do it. We have listened to people our whole lives telling us what we can and can’t do, and if you really want to be part of that miserable chorus then my advice is that you either take a wee break or go and ask Scotland in Union if they are looking for cheerleaders. There are too many people in this movement working too hard for us to put up with whinging.

Someone was telling me last week that we shouldn’t race into another referendum because the mood was low in her area, that there weren’t any activists keeping things going in her town. It took some effort not rise to this. Look, of course we have less steam than we had. We’re not in a campaign and people have got their lives to be getting on with. The blue high Hi Vis Yes activists of 2014 have gone back to their real lives. But that things have gone back to normal doesn’t mean that the movement is dead. It will only die when we stop working.

“We have listened to people our whole lives telling us what we can and can’t do.”

The independence cause is a movement, not a public service. It doesn’t work when we sit back and wait for someone to come and do things for us. It’s up to us – as individuals – to decide what needs doing and get up, motivate ourselves, and go out and do it. I know this sounds harsh, but it’s just a statement of reality. This movement is curtains when enough of us decide that we’ve had enough of it, and the whinging and moaning doesn’t really encourage those who’re working to keep going.

We all like a good aul’ whinge. I decide that I’m packing it all in at about the same time every Friday afternoon. Sometimes the effort to keep other people going is heart-breaking. We have all needed a friendly push to keep us on the road. The truth is that we’re going to need a few more of those before this whole thing is over, but – listen to me – this will be over.

Every one of us is an activist in this movement. We are all responsible for the fight for independence and for converting souls from No to Yes. Part of me is glad that people can see the problems in their community; that they can see what isn’t getting done. When we see a problem we have a choice, we can either complain about it or do something about it. If the struggle for independence was a public service there would be a number we could ring and someone would be round in the morning to fix it. But this is our movement. The independence campaign is our house and it is up to us to put it in order. Can we fix it? Yes, we can.

“The independence campaign is our house and it is up to us to put it in order.”

“Hope over Fear” is a nice wee slogan. It looks fantastic on t-shirts and bright posters and banners, but it’s a slogan. It’s only a slogan. It has long since dawned on us that we need a shed load more than Hope if we are going to face down and defeat the British state. Winning independence will take grit, resilience, perseverance, and hard graft. Independence is a whole world of steely dedication and bloody hard work.

Some places are doing great. Some local Yes groups have gone from strength to strength and the fight is still very much on. Others need a bit of encouragement, leadership, or a wee boost in the arm. Then there are places that have cooled down and a few that have gone into hibernation. I can imagine how upsetting this is for the people in those places who want to get up and go. Sure, it would be enough to make you lose heart. But there is a solution. In your bathroom mirror there is a movement leader waiting to have a word with you. If this is you, go and have that chat in the mirror.

There is loads to be done, and the hilarious thing is that there is nothing stopping us doing it. There is absolutely nothing to suggest we can’t win a referendum this year. In fact the odds are very much in our favour. Most Scots under the age of 55 support the idea of independence. Over 60 per cent of the whole country wants nothing to do with Brexit. Everyone accepts that the No campaign of 2014 was built on fearmongering and a whole pack of lies. We know that the vote to leave the EU was fuelled with lies and false promises.

Right now in Scotland we are looking at a population that actually wants independence. It may not fully appreciate that that is what it wants, but the explanation is easy. All people need is a gentle nudge and they’ll vote to leave the UK. That’s the reality of the situation, and I am puzzled as to why this isn’t obvious to everyone. With 45-48 per cent already behind independence, all we need is a 3-6 per cent swing – and that’s not much. Independence is a hair’s width away from us, but with a media like we have the polls will never be perfect. Now is the time.

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