Independence Forum Scotland and Yes United For Independence are joining forces to organise a Spring Conference on Scotland’s Future, to be held at the iconic Òran Mòr in Glasgow on Saturday 14 March 2026.

As we embark on what promises to be a pivotal few months for Scotland, our aims are simple.  

• To re-energise the YES movement. 
• To plant seeds that will yield fruit in coming months and years.
• To make contact with as wide a demographic as possible.
• In short, to ‘put the band back together’ and recapture the spirit of 2014.

The day will be divided into two sections, with tickets available either separately for each part, or for the two combined.

During the day, from 10 am until 4 pm, we’ll have an event along the lines of last year’s three IFS Conventions, with the emphasis on inviting ideas and discussion about what a post-independence Scotland should look like.  The focus will be on three main topics: Energy, the Economy and Europe, with an opportunity to discuss aspects of them all, and explore different possible ways forward, in World Café format.  We’ll also have key contributions from Lesley Riddoch in the morning and Phil Boswell in the afternoon.  Further speakers and session leaders will be announced closer to the event.
 
In the evening, from 6:00 pm until late, there’ll be an exciting music and social event, with a roster of musical performers who will knock your socks off, including Eddi Reader, Bobby Bluebell and Sulidae.  Whatever you’ve been doing during the day, it’ll be an opportunity to let your hair down and enjoy a truly memorable evening that folk will be talking about for a long time. The full lineup is gradually taking shape, and we’ll announce more names in the near future.

Tickets are priced as follows:

Day event:         £10  (plus booking fee £0.84)
Evening event:  £20  (plus booking fee £1.68)
Both events:      £25  (plus booking fee £2.10) 

We hope you’ll be able to join us for all or part of the day.  To book via TicketSource, just click on this link.

What is the Convention all about?

The purposes of the Convention are –

• To bring people together from all over Scotland, free from party politics, to discuss matters of critical importance to the nation.
• To identify the huge opportunities awaiting Scotland as we proceed towards self-determination.
• To reach consensus on how we may deal with them to our advantage in an independent Scotland.
• To identify perceived obstacles to independence and how they can be circumvented.

Our Mission Statement, endorsed at the inaugural meeting of the Convention on 1 March 2025, is as follows:

“Our aim is to provide a public forum which unites the whole of society with regular discussion and open debate, free from party politics, on matters of critical importance to the nation, and with a clear focus on Scotland’s future and the achievement of meaningful self-determination.”

Previous Convention Meetings

Autumn Convenion 2025

The third gathering of the Convention took place on 8 November 2025 at Adelaide Place, Glasgow.  The programme was as follows:

• Pàdraig MacAoidh (Peter Mackay), Scotland’s Makar, gave a talk on ‘What’s It Like To Be a Scot Today?’
• Jim Osborne of the Scottish Currency Group gave a presentation on ‘Pension Provision in an Independent Scotland’
• Professor Aileen McHarg of the University of Durham gave a talk on ‘Independence – The Constitutional Position’
• Greg McCarra of the Scottish Independence Foundation spoke about ‘Scotland’s Right To Decide Her Future’. 
• Peter A Bell spoke about ‘A Manifesto For Independence: A Scottish UDI’.
• Craig Murray of Liberation Scotland spoke about ‘Independence: The International Dimension’.
• There was a panel discussion on routes to independence, chaired by Laura Webster, Editor of The National.  Taking part were Professor Aileen McHarg, Substack blogger Leah Gunn Barrett, former MSP Alex Neil and senior lawyer Ewan Kennedy.
• Simon Forrest of Yes United For Independence summarised the afternoon discussions on the routes to independence.

A full recording of the Autumn Convention is available on YouTube here.

You can also read an account of the day, which was published in The National, here.

Summer Convention 2025

The second gathering of the Convention took place on Saturday 14 June 2025 at the Salutation Hotel, Perth.  The programme was as follows:

• Stuart McHardy and Roger Emmerson held a discussion on the topic ‘Wha’s Like Us? A Look at Scottishness, Scotland and Independence’.
• John Hutchison, IFS Secretary, gave an update on ‘Scotland’s Future – Our Land’, with a report on the recent Community Land Scotland AGM and the progress of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.
• John Proctor, Chair of Energy Scotland, gave an update on “Scotland’s Energy Future”, with some calls for action by the Scottish and UK Governments.
• Geoff Bush summarised the Spring Convention discussions on “Scotland’s Democratic Future”, with some calls for action by the Scottish Government.
• There was an afternoon session on the topic of “Poverty and the Wellbeing Economy”, with contributions by Eva Comrie, lawyer and activist, William Thomson of Scotonomics, Craig Dalzell of Common Weal, Annie Miller of Basic Income Network Scotland, Dave Thompson of Christians For Independence and Jim Osborne of the Scottish Currency Group.

You can read a fuller account of the day here.

Spring Convention 2025

The first of a series of one day events on Scotland’s Future took place on Saturday 1 March 2025 at Greyfriars Charteris Centre in Edinburgh. The programme was as follows:

• Alastair McIntosh gave an opening address on “The Roots and Vision of a Nation”
• Ailsa Raeburn, Community Land Scotland and Laurie Macfarlane, Future Economy Scotland led a session on “Scotland’s Future – Our Land”
• Robin McAlpine, Common Weal gave a presentation on Doing Things Differently – “How Can the People Influence Risk-Averse Politicians?”
• John Proctor and colleagues from Energy Scotland led a discussion session on – “Scotland’s Energy Future”.
• John Brown and colleagues from Constitution for Scotland, Liberation Scotland and Campaign Group Respect Scottish Sovereignty led a discussion on – “Scotland’s Democratic Future”