WITH phase three of Scotland’s route map now in action, Voices for Scotland has welcomed back its two employees and campaign organisers from furlough.

Now the organisation is set to institute a series of online talks and discussions to try and bring the Yes movement’s voices back together again.

They kick off with a casual online discussion/get-together tomorrow evening at 6pm to involve anyone wanting to talk or just listen on the subject “Independence: Where are we now?”.

A spokesperson for Voices for Scotland said: “The idea is to get people back together and find out what is relevant to people at the moment but also to reconnect the movement after we had to be disconnected for so long.

“It’s been a challenging few months and many people have been impacted by Covid through job loss or ill-health, or even lost a loved one. Our thoughts are with all of those who have been affected.

“In addition to Covid, we were also all reminded over the last few months of how much work there is still to do to eradicate racism and anti-blackness in our institutions and structures to make this country truly inclusive.Not everyone experienced this lockdown the same way, and the extreme differences in wealth and opportunities were, and still are, highlighted through the virus and how it impacts groups in society differently. This has really emphasised the need for change.

“While this might mean for some that campaigning for independence is not one of their priorities, others will be wanting to get active right now, especially with the polls showing a significant shift towards change.

“We believe that now more than ever we need to highlight Scottish voices and what they want their country and future to look like and the many other issues that have emerged through this lockdown.

“While we won’t be able to meet in person for the foreseeable future, we are moving our discussions online. We will have weekly get-togethers on Zoom to help people meet to discuss whatever is relevant in that moment in a casual way.

“As much as we want to hear what people are currently experiencing and are worried and/or hopeful about, we want also discuss how campaigning might change in the face of social distancing and how we all might have to adapt as a movement.

“While we are all going through something that no-one has experienced like this before, we believe it is important that we all learn and adapt together.

The details are on the website voicesforscotland.scot under events. Anyone wishing to attend can register beforehand by following the link or sending an email to info@voicesforscotland.scot.