Scotland's future is something that is worth talking about
It's our second such gathering, following our Spring Convention in Edinburgh in March, and we're making good on our promise to move around the country.
This time, we're visiting the fair city of Perth, and we look forward to welcoming 90 or so participants to the Salutation Hotel for a day of fascinating presentations and discussions.
The main purpose of the convention is to address issues affecting Scotland's future. We're not directly discussing independence and how we get there, but as we deal with questions about various key subjects, we tend to find that in every case at least part of the answer is independence.
READ MORE: SNP must turn support for independence into 'real political action', says Swinney
The opening session of Saturday's event will be about identity and cultural issues: 'Wha's like us? A look at Scottishness, Scotland and independence.'
Why? Well, culture, language and history are pivotal facets of nationhood. When a nation is absorbed into another, or into an empire, there is a very real danger that these crucial facets are diluted or lost.
Thus a vital part of regaining independent nationhood is a rediscovery of our culture, language and history – yet, at least until recently, this has not figured greatly in Scotland's campaign for independence.
The session will be led by Stuart McHardy – the writer and historian who has demonstrated how our history has been distorted and suppressed over the years – and Roger Emmerson, a distinguished architect whose latest book, Scotland In 100 Buildings, was published last month. Stuart and Roger will outline how culture leads politics, not the other way round, and lead participants in an examination of Scottish distinctiveness and
why it matters.
With Stuart's penchant for storytelling, we expect a lively conversation which will inform
and, we expect, inspire everyone in the room.
Our discussions from the Spring Convention are still ongoing, of course, so the remainder of the morning will be devoted to catching up on the topics we covered in Edinburgh.
It's been great to witness the progress our colleagues at Energy Scotland have been making since their splendid contribution to the Spring Convention.
They've featured in the pages of The National several times; developed a strong website, published papers on various key energy topics; made a splash at last month's Scottish Sovereignty Research Group conference, and featured on a special Lesley Riddoch podcast. John Proctor, the chair, will update us further on their activities and put a number of policy propositions to the convention.
The need for land reform, as a means of unlocking the potential of our nation and its population, continues to be a major issue in Scottish politics. It's been frustrating to see all manner of good intentions over the past 18 years failing to shift the dial.
At present, our hopes are vested in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, which is at stage two of its consideration by the Scottish Parliament. John Hutchison will report on its progress and the work of Community Land Scotland, which held its annual conference at the end of last month.
The third strand of the Spring Convention we'll revisit is democracy and governance.
Here, while our aspirations are for the restoration of Scotland's independence, we don't want that to result in a replica of the limited democracy that the UK provides.
Geoff Bush will review the multitude of views expressed by participants in Edinburgh,
and the discussion will continue from there.
READ MORE: SNP candidate calls out Tory rival for being in 'lockstep with failed ideology'
At lunchtime, we're delighted to be able to present a feature common to many gatherings – a fringe event!
For those who are interested (quite a few, we suspect) David Younger of Scotland Decides will give a presentation about his organisation's independent blockchain voting platform, technology-enabled Direct Democracy which offers a way forward backed by international law and free of UK interference.
He'll also outline how this fits with this own vision of how a National Convention might be organised – and what it could achieve.
In the afternoon we'll be concentrating exclusively on the massive issue of poverty and the wellbeing economy.
We've got a host of speakers and panellists lined up, including William Thomson of Scotonomics; Craig Dalzell of Common Weal; lawyer and activist Eva Comrie; Jim Osborne of the Scottish Currency Group, and Annie Miller of Basic Income Network Scotland.
Not yet signed up for the Summer Convention? There are still one or two places available, and we'd be delighted if you could join us. It's free to attend, but booking is essential, and you can do so via independenceforum.scot/national-convention/.
We'll also be happy to answer any questions you may have – just email us at convention@independenceforum.scot.
Looking forward to seeing you in Perth!
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