Leith Walk Independence Festival

Leith Walk is supposedly the longest street in Scotland and today it played host to an independence festival which took over some of the shops. There were also about a dozen street stalls and this magnificent old fire engine which has now been pressed into service for the good of the cause. 

The enthusiasm of the activists cannot be denied, and a lot of shoppers ended up taking badges and window posters away with them. 

The Yes campaign is not a monolithic body, instead is is a confederation of groups, all of whom seem to be doing their own thing, and trying to appeal to their voting niche. The activists range from at least one very pretty girl with a Business for Scotland badge to the members of the Radical Independence Campaign, with just about every other political shade in between.

I spoke to several activists who were honest enough to admit that what is needed is doorstep canvassing, but who then went on to say that they don't have the warm bodies to do that. Compared to the No campaign, which has to pay people to deliver their leaflets, as well as pretending that Tory and Labour party hacks are ordinary members of the public, the independence groups do have a sizeable membership which does seem to be made up of normal human beings. Alas, it's still not enough to go house to house.

That said, they are trying their best with the resources and people that they have available, and they certainly make up with enthusiasm what they lack in numbers.