Jim Sillars urges Labour voters to back Yes vote

On Wednesday 2nd July, a packed Greenhills hall heard Jim Sillars, former Labour MP and SNP Deputy Leader back a Yes vote in the independence referendum, followed by a Labour vote in the first elections to an independent Scottish Parliament in 2016.

Sillars, speaking in East Kilbride for the first time since the death of his wife Margo MacDonald, told the meeting that she had been instrumental in getting him back on the campaign trail.

He announced that, although currently an SNP member, he would be backing Labour to form the first government of an independent Scotland in 2016.

The meeting, which was organised by Yes East Kilbride, also heard from East Kilbride MSP, Linda Fabiani, and Allan Grogan, founder of Labour for Independence, the group campaigning for a Yes vote within the Labour Party.

In a fiery speech, Sillars condemned successive UK governments for halting oil exploration off Scotland’s west coast because of the presence of Trident nuclear submarines.

Sillars called for governments in an independent Scotland to learn from Norway’s management of its oil reserves and keep control of exploration and extraction in public ownership.

Linda Fabiani reminded the meeting that Scots were powerless to stop Scottish soldiers being sent to an illegal war in Iraq and looked forward to the day Scotland had the power to say ‘Not in my name’ and make it come true.

Allan Grogan said that only under independence will Scots get a Labour government working for Scotland.

Commenting after the event, Jim Sillars said:

“This event is part of the biggest discussion Scotland has ever seen.

“Scots will go to the polls on the 18th of September better educated politically than ever before. And I am convinced Yes will win!”

Convenor of Yes East Kilbride Paul McCartney added:

“As we saw here tonight, the Yes campaign is increasingly drawing support from right across the political spectrum.

“Our next public meeting will hear from Tommy Sheppard, previously a senior figure in Scottish Labour, Jeane Freeman, adviser to Jack McConnell as First Minister, and Andy Myles, former Chief Executive of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

“Our message is clear; this referendum is about much more than the SNP. Only a Yes vote puts Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands.”