If you support our cause, here are some actions you might consider taking...
Come to a Yes Orkney meeting.
The Yes campaign will not happen by itself. It is not a top-down organisation but a grassroots effort. If you think something needs done, do it!
Donate to the local foodbank.
According to the Trussell Trust, when David Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010, 61,500 emergency food packages were distributed to the poor.
In 2016, when he resigned, that figure stood at more than 1.1million.
The people of Scotland did not vote for the Tories or their austerity agenda but their policies are inflicted on us anyway.
Graphic: The Trussel Trust
Write to your political representatives on issues you care about.
Alistair Carmichael MP was Secretary of State for Scotland in the Tory/Lib-Dem coalition government, and as chief whip for the Lib-Dems was responsible for helping the Tories push the NHS towards privatisation in England. In their summing-up of the court case for lying to the electorate mounted by The People Versus Carmichael, the judges branded him a "blatant liar" who was "at best disingenuous, at worst evasive and self-serving". Let him know what you think of his actions.
The following websites detail our political representative's voting records and assist you in writing to them:
Write for this website, and/or to The Orkney News and the Orcadian.
Feel free to send in any letters or articles you write for publication on our blog. Get in touch via the contact page, Facebook, or Twitter.
Join a pro-independence political party
The Alba party has been formed with the express purpose of standing on the list vote in the upcoming Scottish election. The voting system in Holyrood elections means that the better a party does in the constituency vote, the worse it does on the list. Hundreds of thousands of Independence votes for the SNP on the list are wasted. If you vote SNP, consider giving your second vote to Alba (or another independence supporting party such as the Greens).
Vote with your wallet
Consider giving your business to those companies and institutions whose ethics and politics align with your own, and withdrawing it from those that don't.
Be sceptical of the media.
Modern democracies such as Norway and Sweden have rules governing press impartiality in political campaigns. The coverage the Scottish people were subjected to during the referendum campaign would not have been legal in these places. Public institutions such as the BBC are supposed to be impartial, yet according to a year-long study by Professor John Robertson of the University of the West Scotland, they were not. Privately-owned newspapers are another matter, but some balance would have been welcome. Be aware of who owns them and what their agenda might be.
Note that if you don't watch live broadcast TV, you don't need a TV license.
If you belong to a Union, make sure you are not indirectly contributing funds to the British Labour Party.
There is no such registered entity as the Scottish Labour Party. It is merely a branch office, as former "leader" Johann Lamont admitted upon her resignation.
Explore your banking options
Read up on local democracy and try to strengthen it.
Get involved in campaigning against TTIP.
Support new independent media for Scotland
A number of excellent alternative news sources sprang up before and after the Independence referendum to address the imbalance in coverage by the mainstream media. They require support if they are to continue. These include: