Christians For Independence

Welcome to the website of Christians For Independence, the group for Christians who support Scottish Independence.

Members

New members are always welcome. If you would like to join CFI, please fill in our contact form, or email us at christiansforindependence@gmail.com.

Our latest news:

AGM

Our AGM was held on Wednesday 18th June at 7pm  –  by Zoom,in order to enable as many members as possible to take part.  Our guest speaker was Gordon Murray from Stornoway, who has been a Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Councillor since 2012. He is a Deacon in Stornoway Free Church of Scotland and has been a member of Christians for Independence for several years. He is a committed Christian and a passionate supporter of independence.
He gave a moving and inspiring address.
The AGM also heard reports on our many activities over the past year, and discussed our plans for the future.
Office-bearers were elected as follows:
Convener: Dave Thompson
Vice-Convener: Stephen Shilton
Treasurer: Robbie Mochrie
Committee members: Edward Andrews, Alison Campbell, Lesley Findlay, Rosemary Ramsay, Stuart Stevenson.
Marjorie Wilson continues as Co-ordinator.
Grateful thanks were expressed to Gareth Morgan, who stood down as Treasurer, after filling the post most efficiently for the last three years.

 

Independence Forum Scotland Convention

CFI Convener Dave Thompson was a panel member in the discussion on what a Wellbeing Scotland should look like at the Independence Forum Scotland’s summer Convention in Perth on 14th June.
The Convention began with an update on topics from the spring Convention  –  land reform, energy and democracy  –  before going on to consider the questions of tackling poverty and of establishing a Wellbeing economy. There was also an inspiring session on Scotland’s culture and national identity, with the theme that culture leads politics, not the other way round.

Survey

We recently conducted a survey of our members, to find out what they thought CFI should be doing and which areas of our work we should concentrate on. We have noted requests for speakers at in-person meetings, for more outreach to individual  Christians and to churches, and for more involvement in the Independence movement. We will be applying these insights to our plans for future activities.

 

BlueSky

Like many other organisations and individuals, we have decided to significantly reduce our use of Twitter / X, as we dislike Elon Musk’s politics. We now have an account on BlueSky: christians4indy.bsky.social. Please follow our posts there, as well as our continuing posts on Facebook.

Scotland’s Future Convention

Members of CFI took part in the Independence Forum Scotland’s first Convention, in Edinburgh on 1st March. The Convention looked at various issues affecting Scotland today, including land reform, energy and democracy, and is the first of a series. The aim is for many groups  –  not just those which support independence at present  –  to examine what needs changing in Scotland and how the necessary changes can be brought about. It should eventually become clear to all that, while some things can be achieved under devolution,  we cannot effect real change without full independence.

Yes event in Elgin

CFI is a part of the much wider independence movement, and as such we take part in Yes events of other independence organisations as much as possible.  Our Convener, Dave Thompson, recently flew the flag for CFI at a Yes event at the Plainstones, Elgin, held by Yes Moray.

Speech at Al-Khair dinner

CFI committee member and Treasurer Dr Gareth Morgan gave a speech on 14^th December last year about the situation in Gaza from a Christian point of view.

CFI were asked by the Al-Khair Foundation to provide a speaker for a dinner held in Glasgow to raise funds to be used for humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Al-Khair Foundation (khair means goodness) is a Muslim charity which supplies aid to suffering people in many parts of the world. Their efforts at this time are concentrated on Palestine and they have already succeeded in getting many truckloads of aid into Gaza.

Before food was served at the dinner, guests received a paper plate containing leaves, grass and sand, showing what many people in Gaza are now reduced to eating for survival.

In his speech, Dr Morgan spoke of the co-operation between Christian and Muslim organisations in Gaza, of the tradition of charitable giving which Muslims and Christians share, and of the basic teachings of our respective faiths that we have an obligation to show mercy and compassion to those less fortunate.

He also explained that we are Christians who want independence for Scotland, and pointed out the support which Scottish pro-independence politicians have shown for Gaza.

Dr Morgan’s talk was well received, and he was glad to be able to correct the impression which many Muslims seemed to have that Christians would support the UK Government in its backing of Israel.  And CFI was very grateful for the opportunity to bring a Christian presence to the event and to show how Christians share in the anguish over what is happening in Gaza.

 

Alex Salmond Memorial Service

CFI Convener Dave Thompson held aloft the distinctive CFI flag at the memorial for Alex Salmond, outside St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, on St Andrew’s Day.  Dave served as an MSP under Alex for seven years (2007 to 2014).
The tributes which were paid to Alex at the service in the Cathedral, and the large crowd which gathered outside, show that Alex will never be forgotten, and CFI joins with numerous other Yes groups in reaffirming our commitment to Scottish Independence.  The dream shall never die.

 

ICEC Conference

Members of CFI, including Convener Dave Thompson, took part in the conference of the European Commission of European Citizens (ICEC), which was held in Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh on Saturday 5th October. The conference was organised by members of the Scottish Independence Convention (of which CFI is a member). It brought together delegates from 14 different European nations which are seeking either independence or at least a greater measure of autonomy and better recognition of their own cultures and languages.  the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, Sardinia, Sicily, South Tyrol, Flanders, Scotland, Wales, Northumbria, Ireland, The Faroes and Greenland were all represented. Before the conference, the delegates visited the Scottish Parliament, where they signed a Declaration, expressing their ambition for a Europe with less centralisation and more democracy.

Interview

Our Convener Dave Thompson was interviewed recently by the team from Scottish Indy Podcasts about his views on the General Election result and on using elections to gain independence, and his ideas on how independence-supporting parties can win the 2026 Scottish parliamentary election.  The interview took place outside the Scottish Parliament as the crowd gathered for the Referendum anniversary rally. As a former MSP and long-term independence activist, Dave had interesting views, partiuclarly on the need for all the parties who want independence to get over their differences and work together  –  an outcome which he has been trying to bring about for some time.
You can watch the interview at 2 minutes 30 seconds in to the podcast:  https://youtu.be/OYF8SjFIRPA?si=7ojzYhCNTY2QbnTE

 

Referendum anniversary rally

Several members of Christians for Independence attended the rally in Edinburgh on 18th September, the 10th anniversary of the Independence Referendum in 2014. It was held next to the Scottish Parliament, at the foot of Salisbury Crags, and was organised by Believe in Scotland. A large audience heard from several inspirational speakers, including Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp and Lesley Riddoch, making it clear that, ten years on, the demand for independence is as strong as ever.

Inverness Day of Action

Christians for Independence was one of many independence groups taking part in the Day of Action in Inverness on 17th August organised by Believe in Scotland.  We gave out lots of leaflets from our stall in the High Street and had some interesting conversations with members of the public who stopped to speak to us. With our Christians for Independence banner we also took part in the Bridges for Indy display of flags on Friars Bridge.

 

AGM

Our AGM was held by Zoom on Wednesday 17th July.  Following the office-bearers’ reports, elections were held for the various offices and for the committee.
Dave Thompson remains Convener, with Gareth Morgan as treasurer. Alison Campbell stood down as Vice-Convener, and was thanked for her long service in this role. The new Vice-convener is Stephen Shilton. Alison remains a committee member; the other committee members are Edward Andrews, Lesley Findlay, Rosemary Ramsay and Stuart Stevenson.
The meeting concluded with a wide-ranging discussion on the results of the recent UK General Election, and CFI’s plans for future action.

 

Talk on Gaza

We hosted a talk in Stirling on Saturday 8th June by Dr Philippa Whitford, a former SNP MP who represented Central Ayrshire from 2015 till standing down at the forthcoming election. Dr Whitford is a breast surgeon; she has worked as a breast surgeon in Gaza and in the West Bank.

Her talk was entitled “Working in Gaza  –  with reflections on the current situation”.

She spoke about her work in Gaza from the 1990s onwards, both carrying out operations and training local medical staff, and her ongoing work with MAP, the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians.

She described how Israel has increasingly suppressed the Palestinians, encroaching on their land in the West Bank with their illegal settlements.

Severe travel restrictions meant that it was often impossible to send patients to the hospital in East Jerusalem which was the only one with the facilities to deal with some cases, and restrictions on the movement of goods meant that many drugs and items of medical equipment were in too short supply for effective treatment of some patients.  Attacks by Israeli military meant that doctors often had to deal with gunshot wounds as well as routine illness.

The situation in Gaza is now unimaginably worse, with hospitals destroyed, health care workers killed, and doctors having to deal with horrific injuries from bomb and rocket attacks, crush injuries from collapsing buildings and wounds becoming infected due to lack of antibiotics, disinfectants or even clean water. Thousands of children have suffered amputations, with no prosthetics for them. With the infrastructure of Gaza largely destroyed and Israelis preventing adequate aid from arriving or being distributed, disease and starvation are already adding to the death toll.

It was useful to have pointed out that the present situation did not arise suddenly as a result of the Hamas attack on Israel last October; it is rather the latest act in the systematic oppression of the Palestinians, arising ultimately from the way in which much of their land was handed over to become the state of Israel, and exacerbated now by the present extreme anti-Palestinian, right-wing Israeli government.

Dr Whitford also spoke of what an independent Scotland could do, for Palestine (including recognising it as a state) and as a force for good and for peace throughout the world.

A lively question and answer session followed the talk, and a collection for MAP raised a good sum. We would encourage anyone who is moved by the plight of the people of Gaza to make their own contribution to MAP: https://www.map.org.uk/.

We are grateful to the IndyPodcasters for recording the talk. It is now available to view on their YouTube channel. and to listen to on their podcast.
Video of talk:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qz-kyrGYBc
Video of Q&A session:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCf-kCllAnw
Audio recording: : https://scottishindypod.scot/all-scottish-independence-podcasts-episodes/working-in-gaza/

 

Jesuits:  statement on Gaza

A CFI member, who is also a member of the Society of Jesus, has made us aware of a statement issued by the Jesuits about the situation in Gaza.
They say that they cannot remain silent in the face of the failure of anyone to stop the killing and halt the famine. The deaths, injuries, disease and homelessness are not inevitable but are the result of deliberate choices, and they advocate their dream for a different future and “the only road to true peace”.
We urge you to read the whole statement.

Interview:  strategies for Independence

Christians for Independence Convener Dave Thompson was interviewed recently on the Scottish Indy Podcast, in a series on Strategies for Independence. The discussion covered many aspects such as how we build support for independence, the role of a Constitutional Convention, the forthcoming UK General Election and more.
You can watch the interview on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZJnO2OUj80, or listen to it on the Scottish Indy Podcast website at https://scottishindypod.scot/scottish-party-politics/independence-strategy-debates-pt3/.

Route to Independence

Like other independence-supporting organisations, we have been discussing the Route to Independence: what will work in the current political situation, and how can we achieve this?  Dave Thompson, our Convener, has drawn up our agreed and preferred Route to Independence, taking into account revisions suggested at our last two members’ meetings. You can read the Route to Independence here, and we welcome comments on it.