The SNP just had a kind of conference-event-thing today where 12,000 Nationalists turned up at the Hydro in Glasgow. It was originally to hear Nicola Sturgeon giving her last speech of her Rockstar tour around the country. Given that literally thousands of people were turning up at relatively minor events along the way and the SNP membership was exploding they apparently decided to make a big fuss of all the members and turn the final event into a quasi-concert.
Rather than it just being Sturgeon herself speaking, there were numerous bands and musicians - such as a bagpipe-playing cover band called the Red Hot Chili Pipers who played a bagpipe version of "Don't Stop Believing" (yes, really) and of course my favourite Scottish alternative hip hop group Stanley Odd. I heard people say that you could hear a pin drop during their performance of "Son, I Voted Yes". Many manly bravehearted tears were shed. Alex Salmond also spoke and got so many cheers and standing ovations that it's impossible to keep track. He could start talking about wallpaper and he'd get a standing ovation. Sturgeon herself was great, if a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. By doing "The Hydro" she's following in the footsteps of Beyonce, remember.
I should add that the left-wing Radical Independence group had a conference on the other side of Glasgow at the same time attended by 3000. That means 15,000 people were at political events today in Glasgow at a time when political apathy is endemic. 15,000 independence supporters, I should add. More people were at those events today than the entire membership of the Scottish Labour Party, which is less than 14,000. The SNP currently have 92,000. To put that in perspective the Conservative Party has 130,000 members UK-wide across an electorate of 50 million+. That means this is the equivalent of the SNP having at least million members UK wide.
And this is from a movement that lost. What strange times.
Here is Buzzfeed's take on it. I particularly enjoyed this quote:
As one SNP member joked as the arena was emptying: "David Cameron could only attract an audience like this if he was being hanged."