Scotland the Brave

Well Done Andy!

Whilst the Lib Dems, a party of government, were hurtling unfounded accusations of xenophobia at the SNP yesterday, and as the CBI Scotland was preparing to release its “devasting” critique of independence (we reckon ghosted at Keir Hardie House), Scotland was getting on with its business.

And our biggest success story of the day was not even taking place in Scotland but in San Jose where Andy Murray ( what a name © 1297) was successfully defending his title at a WTP ranked event in California. And we are hoping for similar success but closer to home at Celtic Park this evening

We mention these two examples - Andy Murray and Celtic - because in sharp focus they show how much better the real Scotland is compared to the people who claim represent us , speak for us.

But for not much longer we hope

Through YouScotland.com ,indeed through the entire world opened up by the internet, we can now all speak for ourselves and many are already doing so, But we have a long, long way to go before we can create a country in which we have the political equivalents of Andy Murray, plus a political system we can all be proud of.

Please get things going in this direction now by doing these three simple things

1. Register and take part
2. Recommend this site to friends and associates wherever they may be
3. Donate some money, online or traditionally to YouScotland.com to help is get our message out there, build from the baseline as Andy Murray does. ( see also our Dragons' Den Pitch below)

Congratulations Andy and here is hoping  for another hat trick - Celtic tonight, Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday, and Rangers next week at Ibrox!

And May 3rd ?.......…no that would be aiming too high, wouldn’t it?

YouScotland Enters the Dragons Den

Our Virtual Dragons Den Pitch - or in Scottish, "send us some dosh!" 

Dear Duncan, Theo, Debhorah, Peter and Richard,

We think we have a great product here - nice site, good ideas, and just what the customer is after, And the product we are tying to "sell", indeed invent? - 21st century democracy.

But we know we face massive consumer resistance becouse of a poor service offered up by previous suppliers. Some of our customers have been so let down, that they will be very reluctant second time buyers. But we believe in our product, and have the entrepreneurial spirit and determination overcome these obstacles.

Our biggest problem at the moment is we need a marketing budget - the media can help, but some of them are constrained, reluctant to upset our current competitors. So we need to find independent venture investors in order to get our message out to potential customers directly. There can be no guarantees of a return on your investment, but we can show you enough now to suggest this is a risk worth taking, with the potential gains being immense, ultimately to your own and our nation’s direct benefit, We can even show you now, albeit on a limited scale, how if customers can see our product product, feel it, experience it, we will have no great difficulties selling it. But we need to speculate to accumulate. There is no minimum investment or maximum one, but we reckon if everyone just gives what they can afford, this will be enough

So please invest in us with that same sense of belief. And we can show you online how every penny you invest will be put to good use, spent where it is most need - indeed, you can even tell us how and where you want your investment spent. We have no fancy offices, staff salaries or debts to service, so you will get good bang for buck. And what’s more, we have plenty of willing volunteers waiting to help, equal shareholders in our cooperative venture the moment they sign up on line.

So invest what you can, what you feel, but now please. Reaching 5 million people in this vast and diverse land of ours is a huge task And reaching those who we really need to see our product most of all will be the most difficult, and expensive of tasks - the toughest nuts to crack. The 17 year olds in Pilton, the 75 years olds in Paisley, The new Scots in Polloksheilds for whom English is a second language, and democracy a third.

We have secure online payment facilities through you can invest in them right now.

Bear in mind all you see online - this entire site , all the online tools, design work, supporting documents and video has been put there through volunatary effort - a £30,000 plus site all for nothing. But we need your investment now please to help it find it the customers - the people - it deserves, indeed was made for.

Ways to to donate

By cheque: To YouScotland.com , 7/2 Alvanley Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 1DU

By bank transfer: 

Bank: Allied Irish Banks, Address: 19 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4DE

Account name: YouScotland.com: Sort code: 83-91-30 :Account number: 01009004

Online through paypal

- go here.

Thanks in anticipation.

Alan, Jane, Jim, Mags, Tam and Tommy,

YouScotland.com Steering Group, 18 February, 2007

Welcome!

A Day Early and 300 years late - But still on Time!

We’ve gone live a day early to give people a sneak preview, let them have a look , get a feel of things, ask questions, but above all meet each other, without the full glare of media publicity. So get to it. 

And there will be plenty media interest tomorrow (Sunday 18th), though a few journalists ain’t quite got what we’re about yet. -“what seats are you standing in?” is about the extent of their penetrating analysis.. Apart from Sunday’s written press, look out in particular for a special feature - the inside story - on YouScotland.com on BBC1‘s Politics Show from noon on Sunday.

Featured in the film, shot on location on Ayrshire and Coatbridge, are founding members Jim Sproat, Margaret Lynch and Alan Smart, and live in studio will be another of our founding member, Tommy Sheppard. So, if you just want to see what we look like, tune in - but you’ll find out much more . And post to this blog afterwards and let us know what you made of it, or what you still need to know etc.

At this stage though the old maxim , “ all publicity is good publicity” is not far off the mark. We need to get our web address and presence out there by whatever means necessary. So if you dad’s the editor of Sky News……

Seriously , we can all do something, and lots of us more than just something. Try, for example just writing a letter to you local newspaper, mentioning this initiative and suggesting locals meet up online to talk about pressing local issues - and of course mention the web address through which they can do that. So get too it - we’ve 5 million folk to reach, and that's just in Scotland. And as Tesco.com tells us…”every little helps”

For the technophobes, or indeed just to show people what we are about away from a PC environment, why not print off a few of our dinky PDF versions of our opening statement, hot of the designer's desk in The Art-Factory in Ayr town centre. Rabbie will be well pleased - his is the best photie. Download founding_statement.pdf.pdf