Latest News & Articles
How to stop Voter ID rules undermining Scotland’s democracy
Local elections in England last week were marred by voters getting turned away from the polls – or deciding to stay at home because of the new voter ID requirements. This has suppressed voter turnout – as Believe in Scotland predicted.
Finally even Farage admits Brexit has failed – with Scotland now tied to failing UK
“We have not delivered on Brexit… the Tories have let us down very, very badly”. Arch Brexiteer Nigel Farage’s words on Newsnight this week have caused tremors across the UK’s political landscape.
Farage and his party UKIP were hugely prominent and influential in selling Brexit to voters. Scotland didn’t fall for it – but it was forced to leave the EU and now Brexit’s failures are forcing particular hardship on families and businesses north of the Border. If the country was independent, men like Farage would have no role in shaping policy for Scotland.
Who do you want to represent Scotland internationally - so-called "lords" or democratic representatives?
Who do you want to represent Scotland internationally - unelected peers or democratic representatives? Who has the right to represent Scotland’s interests abroad? Is it elected representatives such as Angus Robertson - or unelected Conservative donors such as ‘lord’ Malcolm Offord? Many will ask - what possible right does Malcolm Offord have to represent Scotland internationally? And yet he does. ...
Media Watch - Unionists announce attack on Scotland’s Parliament
Those who have been warning that the UK government is planning to undermine and attack the powers of the Scottish Parliament got further confirmation this week from “lord” David Frost in a column in the Daily Telegraph. Frost is an unelected member of the Westminster Parliament who has held several ministerial posts including that of Brexit Minister. Writing...
Good news for the independence movement as "Yes" vote holds firm
Recent polling shows support for ‘Yes’ to independence is holding steady at 48%, even as the SNP as a political party has lost some ground. It is good news for the independence movement - although it means that independence support is not as closely linked to SNP support as it used to be. That raises questions - is this a...
Scotland sports fans “let down” and “disadvantaged” by UK broadcasting
It has been a good couple of weeks for Scottish sport, first the mens Football team beat Spain 2-0 and then the Scotland Men’s Curling team won a historic World Cup victory over the weekend, an event which took place at 9 pm UK time and like the football was not televised in Scotland. It is a fair bet that...
Energy freeze won't cool Scotland's anger over energy rip-off
The UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has decided to extend the current cap on energy prices for another three months - but that is not enough to help Scottish families who have to pay over the odds to heat their homes. The headline figure says that this will keep average bills at £2,500 a year instead of pushing them up...
Poll - Two policies that would allow the next FM to raise independence support to 60%
A poll conducted by Panelbase for Believe in Scotland of over 2,000 Scottish residents, aged 16+ conducted has shown that 56% of Scottish voters would support Scottish independence if the Scottish Government put a Wellbeing Economic Approach at the heart of its economic plans for an independent Scotland. A plan that recognises that quality of life, equality, fairness, sustainability, happiness,...
10 reasons why Brexit is behind the UK's food shortages
The mainstream news media is reporting that fresh vegetable shortages in British supermarkets are caused by “bad weather in Spain and Morocco”. But Brexit is a big factor - it has disrupted Britain’s supply chains and is reducing food production in the UK. Social media is awash with photos of groaning shelves in European supermarkets with arrays of tomatoes,...
Polling News: Yes support unchanged from October 2022 according to BIS-commissioned poll
A Panelbase poll conducted on behalf of Believe in Scotland has found 48% of respondents in support of Yes, the same as polls in October 2022, despite alleged ‘setbacks’ for the independence campaign. These results show that with a concentrated effort by the independence movement and the Scottish Government to put the focus back on independence, the results can be...
Poll shows 68% of voters want an independent Scotland to rejoin the EU
A large scale poll by Believe in Scotland conducted by Panelbase has found a two thirds majority of support amongst Scottish voters for an independent Scotland to rejoin the EU. The poll of 2,006 people also found independence support to be at 48%. This is an increase from a similar sized recent Lord Ashcroft poll which had Yes at 44%. ...
70% of Yes Group organisers say Westminster Election as defacto referendum is answer to Westminster's undemocratic indy stance
On Saturday 18th February, 241 voting delegates from 126 local and national Yes groups joined the Scottish Independence Congress hosted by Believe in Scotland. This was the biggest ever meeting of Yes Group organisers. Delegates met to discuss and agree on the next steps for the Yes movement and what the strategy for achieving independence should be. In quite a...
200+ delegates to attend Scottish Independence Congress - Sat 18th Feb
Saturday's Scottish Independence Congress will be the biggest ever gathering of Yes Group organisers. More than 200 delegates from around 100 Yes Groups have registered to attend the online Congress. The growing success of this event (registration opening only two weeks ago) serves to prove that the grassroots independence campaign is getting ready for a final push to gaining Scotland's...
Scotland's poverty rate 20% lower than England’s, says authoritative report
A poverty gap is opening between England and Scotland, in particular in child poverty rates, according to a new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. In its annual report: “UK Poverty 2023: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK”, the charity reports that rates of child poverty are diverging between the two countries. The report found that Scotland...
Media Watch - BBC Radio 4 “Today” gets it badly wrong on how Shell pays tax on Scottish oil
When Shell announced the biggest profits in its history - £32.2 billion pounds for 2022 on Thursday - the BBC morning news flagship, the ‘Today’ programme gave listeners misleading information about how much tax it is paying in the UK compared to other countries. The show’s journalists gave the erroneous impression that the UK is getting a similar amount...