Saturday 5 December 2009

The Wave That Flooded Glasgow #TheWave


Pictures by James Harrison

I'm sitting on the bus heading back home after the Wave in Glasgow. You may be asking why so late but at Kelvingrove Park the use of my laptop was requested by LYS for use of the secretary at their exec meeting held afterwards, which is the end was not in fact used.

Anyway this was the driest Wave I have ever been in the middle of, I have have been in some big Atlantic rollers at the strands in Portrush or Portstewart when we holidayed when I was a child. The Glasgow weather was mercifully dry while we were on the march, showers however, did give us a light soaking as we headed off to find somewhere to eat.

First off no sooner had I arrived at Ibrox underground station where the Lib Dems had agreed to congregate than I was greeted by the vision of the Linlithgow Climate Challenge team arriving with their banner. It was good to see them here as well.

George Lyon MEP, Robert Brown MSP and Alison McInnes MSP along with Glasgow North PPC Katy Gordon were prominent Lib Dems who were on the march. We formed up at Bellahouston Park before winding our way towards and over the Cylde. I also for quite a bit of the march was walking alongside or close to Green MSP Patrick Harvie. It actually felt good to be part of a Scottish Lib Dem contingent at a march and actually be one of those responsible for raising the average age.

Yes Liberal Youth Scotland were out in force and indeed it was their posters that you can see all of us carrying in the picture above. They have had a busy weekend yesterday they flashmobbed the Student Loan's Company in Glasgow*, then they headed off to help Ashai Ghay the Lib Dem candidate in next Thursday's Bearsden South by election, then The Wave and an exec meeting today.

There was quite a crowd there and just across the bridge next to the SECC we formed a big loop just off Finnieston Street. Here we all grouped up and did a a couple of Mexican waves down the whole march and then headed off to Kelvingrove Park, for the rally at the end of the march.


The official even photographer asked us to come over for a group picture behind the events official sign and as he levelled us all up he did say this is "big group".

Now we must hope that the message that the people in Glasgow and elsewhere have sent to the delegates heading to Copenhagen has a real impact. Hope they have listened to and seen us and the coverage we have had across the news and know that now is the time to take action.

PS I have lost the scarf in Wave colours that you can see above. Which is wierd as I distinctly remember having it at the QMU and remembering to pick it up as we were leaving.

PPS I tweeted about the absence of certain political presence at the Glasgow Wave while on the move. The absence of any grassroots support for this issue by these two really is a worry for the future.



*This led to representation coming down to discuss with them their issues on the doorstep.

1 comment:

  1. congratulations to all involved. Good to the libdems well up there

    ReplyDelete