A lunchtime debate will take place on Sunday through the medium of Gaelic at the party’s inaugural conference.
Organisers for Your Party Scotland have arranged a lunchtime debate to settle the question of the party’s Gaelic name. The debate will be held 1.15-1.45pm on Sunday 8th February at the party’s founding conference in Dundee.
There are several ways to express possessive pronouns in Gaelic, and consulting with Gaelic speakers ahead of the conference, organisers found no clear consensus on whether the name should be translated as “Ur Pàrtaidh” or “Am Pàrtaidh Agaibh”. It was therefore decided that a decision should be taken by Gaelic-speaking members.
The debate will be chaired by Fred Bayer (who goes by “Calum” in Gaelic), one of the conference organisers. Bayer studied Gaelic at the University of Aberdeen and has contributed to Gaelic media productions such as BBC Alba’s Leugh Mi and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal’s Breab do Rapal.
Bayer said: “Inclusion is writ large in Your Party, and that applies to Scotland’s diverse language communities as well. Rather than impose an arbitrary decision, organisers felt it important to give our Gaelic-speaking members a voice in how they would like to render the party’s name in their language.”
The decision taken at the debate will determine the Gaelic name specified in the party’s constitution. It is believed that this session will be the first time a formal business session at a Scottish party conference will take place entirely through the medium of Gaelic.