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Independence Live

Telling Scotland’s Story since 2013.

What's on Guide

See below for upcoming shows & events.

What's on Guide

5th Annual Jim McVicar Memorial Lecture: Socialist Answers to ReformUK

Join us for the 5th Annual Jim McVicar Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Scottish Socialist Party. The event is opened by Richie Venton who shares heartfelt

5th Annual Jim McVicar Memorial Lecture: Socialist Answers to ReformUK

5th Annual Jim McVicar Memorial Lecture: Socialist Answers to ReformUK

Join us for the 5th Annual Jim McVicar Memorial Lecture, hosted by the …

Whats On in April

Whats On in April

A very windswept Fiona and Marlene take a moment out from the …

Believe in Scotland March & Rally, Edinburgh 2026 #BiSEdinburgh

Believe in Scotland March & Rally, Edinburgh 2026 #BiSEdinburgh

Believe in Scotland March & Rally 2026, Edinburgh. Let’s show that the …

Scotland, Will You March With Us?

Scotland, Will You March With Us?

We chat to Believe in Scotland founder Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp about the …

We're Putting the Band Back Together - Live Music & Poetry

We're Putting the Band Back Together – Live Music & Poetry

Tommy MacKay Seahorse Poets – Linda Jackson Allan Gaw Sulidae (with …

Tommy MacKay
Seahorse Poets – Linda Jackson Allan Gaw
Sulidae (with Bobby Bluebell)
Bobby Motherwell
Alan Bissett
King of Birds
Mellow Party
Seahorse Poets
The Countess of Fife
Eddi Reader and John Douglas

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The Spring Conference earlier event today, you …can find in another video on Independence Live YouTube channel. The 2nd part of today’s event from the Oran Mor is all music and poetry! See below for more details.

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Independence Forum Scotland and Yes United have joined forces to organise a special music and poetry event at the iconic Òran Mòr in Glasgow on Saturday 14 March 2026, starting at 6:00 pm (doors open 5:30 pm).

The evening is being arranged in association with Artists For Scottish Independence, with a view to re-energising the ‘cultural’ aspect of the Yes movement so powerfully embodied by National Collective and others in the run-up to the 2014 Referendum. It’s been a while since we all felt that kind of excitement, and we reckon it’s time to put the band back together.

Our roster of musical performers includes Eddi Reader & John Douglas, Bobby Bluebell, The Countess of Fife, Mellow Party, King of Birds, Tommy Mackay and Sulidae, plus spoken word contributions from Alan Bissett and from poets Allan Gaw, Graham Fulton, Linda Jackson, Donna Matthew and Jen Dunn. We also expect there to be recorded contributions from a number of performers who for various reasons are unable to be present on the night.

Tickets for the evening cost £20, plus Ticketsource booking fee, and you can purchase them via here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/independence-forum-scotland/ifs-yes-united-spring-conference-on-scotlands-future/2026-03-14/10:00/t-oejoegz

Location
Òran Mór, Glasgow, G12 8QX

https://www.yesunited.scot/
https://independenceforum.scot/
https://artistsforindy.scot/

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INDEPENDENCE LIVE – TELLING SCOTLAND’S STORY SINCE 2013
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Get the links!

Get the links!

Independence Live are now on Linktree. Get all our important links …

Help Ignite Indy! Crowdfunder 2025

Help Ignite Indy! Crowdfunder 2025

It’s that time of year again when we at Independence Live ask you if …

Previously on What's on Guide

Scotonomics Ep: 137 Introducing The Communities Deliver Framework 📱

Scotland is on the verge of a historic shift. The Community Wealth Building Bill currently progressing through the Scottish Parliament, represents an

Scotonomics Ep: 137 Introducing The Communities Deliver Framework 📱

Scotonomics Ep: 137 Introducing The Communities Deliver Framework 📱

Scotland is on the verge of a historic shift. The Community Wealth …

Ep 45 Recce Report - 9 March 2026

Ep 45 Recce Report – 9 March 2026

Cliff and Russ from Veterans for Scottish Independence cast a critical …

SCOTONOMICS EP 136: Does the climate movement believe that governments must find the money? 📱

SCOTONOMICS EP 136: Does the climate movement believe that governments must find the money? 📱

The literature review focuses on articles that address macroeconomic …

SCOTONOMICS EP 135: With Professor Danny Dorling

SCOTONOMICS EP 135: With Professor Danny Dorling

Danny Dorling joins William Thomson to discuss his latest book, “The …

Ep 41 Recce Report - 13 October 2025

Ep 41 Recce Report – 13 October 2025

Cliff and Russ from Veterans for Scottish Independence cast a critical …

Episode: 134 Edinburgh: Innovation and the Festival Economy

Episode: 134 Edinburgh: Innovation and the Festival Economy

In this episode of Scotonomics, William Thomson is joined by Nick …

In this episode of Scotonomics, William Thomson is joined by Nick Sherrard to unpack an uncomfortable question:

How can Scotland host the biggest arts festival in the world and still …fail to turn it into long-term economic value for its own creative sector?

Drawing on Nick’s recent research into the Edinburgh Festivals, the discussion reveals a striking imbalance. Global artists, producers, and investors flood into the city each August, yet Scottish creative firms often struggle to secure visibility, influence, or lasting commercial benefit. Major decisions are made elsewhere. There is no Scotland House to promote national talent. Even festival infrastructure and digital platforms are increasingly sourced from abroad.

The conversation broadens to innovation more widely. Nick challenges the way Scotland talks about “ecosystems” without being clear about the mechanisms involved. He outlines the four stages of innovation, arguing that Scotland currently behaves like a stage-four economy: good at assembling ideas developed elsewhere, but weak at owning and scaling original innovation.

The episode also explores how innovation is too often treated as an unquestioned good, disconnected from purpose, wellbeing, sustainability, or community wealth. Big tech, empire-building, and loss-leader disruption models like Uber are contrasted with what a genuinely public-interest innovation strategy might look like.

Finally, the discussion turns to policy and power. From the role of the enterprise agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) to the deeper limits imposed by currency control and foreign ownership, William and Nick argue that Scotland’s economic institutions lack accountability, clarity of purpose, and ambition in the right places. Instead of endlessly chasing unicorns or inward investment, they suggest a far more radical shift. One that directly backs people, enables experimentation, and links innovation to real social and economic outcomes at home. The episode closes with a call to stop abstract talk and start focusing on the practical mechanics of how Scotland actually builds, owns, and benefits from its own economy.

🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/6615864377081856Show More

TNT Show. Ep213. With guest Prof. Alf Baird on UN initiative.

TNT Show. Ep213. With guest Prof. Alf Baird on UN initiative.

Alf Baird is an author and academic. One of the things we will be …

Scotonomics Ep 133: The Economy in an independent Wales

Scotonomics Ep 133: The Economy in an independent Wales

Beyond the Union? Many voters in both Scotland and Wales seek to gain …

Hope Over Fear, Coatbridge 2025

Hope Over Fear, Coatbridge 2025

Hope Over Fear have done their yearly event 2025 at Coatbridge this year.

TNT Show. Ep212. With guest Malik Al Nasir.

TNT Show. Ep212. With guest Malik Al Nasir.

Malik Al Nasir is a PhD Candidate at Cambridge, an author, film maker, …

Scotonomics Ep 129: Scotland's Future Fiscal Rules

Scotonomics Ep 129: Scotland's Future Fiscal Rules

William Thomson runs us through his report co-authored with Dr Dirk …

William Thomson runs us through his report co-authored with Dr Dirk Ehnts.

The report evaluates a key and widely misunderstood aspect of the economic prospectus for Scottish independence, as outlined …in the Scottish Government’s 2022 publication, ‘Building a New Scotland: A stronger economy with independence.’

It addresses the rationale and implications for the Scottish economy to align with the European Union’s fiscal rules (Stability and Growth Pact). The Scottish Government plans to mirror those rules before it gains membership of the EU.

To fully understand the impact of the Scottish Government attempting to adhere to the SGP, the report introduces a simple macroeconomic model to develop three growth scenarios (average/low/zero growth) for the evolution of the Scottish economy.

The report introduces and then uses the framework of sectoral balances.

We examine how the public sector budget deficit is influenced by the interactions between government spending, taxation, and the behaviour of the private and external sectors.

Finally, in the conclusion, we consider an alternative approach based on the concept of functional finance.

Subscribe to download the report when it is released on 15th September:
https://mailchi.mp/scotonomics.scot/the-economic-impact-of-adopting-the-european-unions-stability-and-growth-pact-in-an-independent-scotland

“Scotland’s recent economic history suggests that its economy is not compatible with the current European framework of fiscal rules. Applying the SGP would force Scotland into several rounds of austerity, involving cuts to government spending and tax increases, an action that would be self-defeating, as the public debt would likely rise.”

“A private sector surplus of circa 10% of GDP would be essential to reconstruct a normal European level of public services. A sustained double-figure government deficit would be manageable for a nation with high monetary sovereignty that followed policies to increase its economic resilience and would not present an inflationary risk or downward pressure on a new currency. In fact, this level of private sector surplus would be essential for Scotland to chart a different economic path from the United Kingdom.”

“Scotland’s Economic rules should support the sustainable use of resources, full employment, price stability, and a framework that concentrates on resilience. These are the foundations of a modern society. Without them, there is social, political, and economic instability. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, as the SGP has clearly shown. A set of rules tailored to an independent Scotland’s needs will be beneficial for the wellbeing of all Scots.”Show More

AUOB Edinburgh March and Rally 2025 #AUOBEdinburgh.

AUOB Edinburgh March and Rally 2025 #AUOBEdinburgh.

0:51:20 Speaker: Mike Fenwick 0:53:50 Musician: Pete Scally 1:10:08 …

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