A lot of column inches have been expended in this newspaper extolling the virtue of tomorrow’s Yes march and rally in Edinburgh. I want to sound a note of caution. Not against marching but against imagining that this march is what is needed to rejuvenate the cause of independence. If that were true, then a rejuvenation wouldn’t be needed as some people have been marching for years. I attended and spoke at a sizeable AUOB march in Glasgow in May.  Some of the people I met there have marched all over Scotland, often without the benefit of much support from our elected nationalist parliamentarians.  So, I mean no disrespect to those who march or to those recently converted to the idea that marches and rallies might be a good thing.  As Lesley Riddoch argued yesterday a big march and a rally with rousing speeches is an important sign that our movement is still alive despite the stasis of the last 9 years. It is also good for the morale of the marchers.  So of course, I hope it goes well.

Let's deal with the good news first. Several grassroots resolutions concerning the party’s independence strategy have made it on to the SNP’s provisional conference agenda which was published on Tuesday. Lessons have clearly been learned. Under the new leadership, members who put forward ideas about how we win our party’s main goal will no longer be booed off the stage.

Recently I sat down to write a short speech about why I support Scottish independence. It struck me that it was some time since I had last done this. It was the sort of thing I did day in, day out this time nine years ago at the height of the indyref campaign. However, in recent years, the focus has been rather more on the how than the why of independence.

Tonight, I will be speaking at the first debate in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe show - The Ayes Have It! The Ayes Have It! The motion is – “This House believes Scotland should be independent.”  Preparing my speech has provided a useful lens through which to view the news that has dominated this week’s political headlines.