My friends who organise the pro-independence Hope Over Fear campaign are set to fill Freedom (George) Square with thousands of YES enthusiasts again in September. 

Their last two rallies, which mixed great live music with excellent speakers, attracted well over 20,000 young and old YESers determined to promote the hope of a new and better independent Scotland over the fear of change constantly pedalled by the British Establishment and the millionaires who benefit so much from its existence.

The next rally is scheduled on a very significant date, Saturday, September 19, almost a year to the day after the historic Referendum on September 18, last year. Scores of bands and speakers are all lined up to yet again get the Square jumping with joy and inspired by words of hope.

Glasgow Times:

Last October, Tommy and I were the proudest parents as we listened to our Gabrielle woo the crowd with an appeal for everyone to keep fighting for independence for the children of Scotland. She just loved being up on stage alongside independence supporting actors like Martin Compston, Paul Brannigan and Keira Lucchesi.

Then in April this year 12,000 gathered to listen to more fantastic live music from the likes of Gerry Cinnamon, Kevin Gore, Toni Etherson, The Trongate Rum Riots and many more, and were treated to speeches from award winning actor and director David Hayman and Loaves and Fishes founder Dennis Curran. Both were inspirational.

Many of those speakers and bands will perform again on September 19 and this rally is shaping up to be the biggest so far. Well over 8,000 have already indicated on social media that they intend being there. Tommy has again been invited to speak and help on the day. It will be an unmissable event.

What upsets me about these fantastic rallies is the way Glasgow City Council constantly drag their feet over the Permission To Use (PTU) certificates that the group apply for. The last one in April went ahead without such a certificate because the council left it until after 5pm the night before the event to refuse it.

This time that same council has been sitting on a bona fide application for almost 12 weeks without progress. It really does beg the question what the hell are these officials and councillors playing at?

This is a disgrace and has to stop. Not everyone in Scotland supports independence but the majority of Glasgow does so the council should stop dragging its heels and get on with granting permission for the September 19 rally around the theme ‘One Year On – We’re Still YES’. Hopefully I will see many of you there.

Glasgow Times:

If Ikea can do it so can the other big stores 

As a keen visitor of the Ikea store in Braehead I was really pleased to read the news that the retail giant has decided to implement the living wage for all its staff by April next year.

That means all staff being paid at least £7.85 an hour, £1.35 above the current £6.50 minimum wage. Over 4,500 Ikea staff, more than half, are set to benefit across its 18 UK stores. The boss said it made “good business sense” to introduce the living wage and it represented a “long term investment” in their workers. 

Personally I think the Living Wage should be the minimum workers are paid and Ikea should have been paying it before now.

The Living Wage Foundation was formed by a group of low paid working parents in East London in 2001. The Living Wage figure is set annually by the Centre for Research in Policy at Loughborough University and there is a higher London Living Wage set by the Greater London Authority (it is currently £9.15 an hour).

If Ikea can afford the Living Wage then why not all the other big stores and retailers?  Almost 1,600 businesses are now accredited Living Wage payers, so why not others?

In my opinion no Scottish Government or Local Authority contracts should ever be awarded to companies who don’t pay the Living Wage. That would act as an incentive for companies to step up to the plate.

And in November a new consumer campaign will be launched by the Living Wage Foundation alongside a new ‘app’ that can be downloaded on to your moby allowing you to search for any product and locate a Living Wage paying retailer, business or café. You will be able to use your spending power to encourage businesses to pay their workers a Living Wage, from a coffee to a coat. All I have to work out between now and November is what the hell an ‘app’ is….