|
Scotland votes No, but a growing
movement for change is born
Catriona Goss & Natalie Howard
On
September 18, 2014 Scotland voted "No" to
independence from Great Britain, with 2,001,926
voters against separation and 1,617,989 supporting
it (55.3% to 44.7%). Although the result is
disappointing for many and, whilst many on the left
were spilt over whether to support Scottish
independence or not, the process has lead to massive
political mobilization across the country - with a
record 84.5% voter turnout according to official
statistics - leading to hopes for a continued
movement for change.
The
origins of Scottish independence are historic and
complex; however, the Thatcherite policies of the
1980´s and their effects were perhaps the key
stimuli for independence over the last 25 years. The
policies, largely based on privatization, eroded
much of Scottish industry, its unions and its
political base, leading some critics to claim that
it was used as a “Petri dish for free market
experiments ahead of England.” In this context, the
Scottish National Party led by Alex Salmond which
has always favored separation gained in popularity,
securing the majority in parliament by 2011 and
winning an agreement with Conservative British Prime
Minister David Cameron’s coalition government to
hold the September 18 referendum.
According to reports from the Herald Scotland, the
Scottish National Party’s membership has soared by
almost 17,000 since the referendum was held, whilst
3,000 people have joined the Scottish Green Party,
which also supported the Yes campaign. The media
campaign was strongly in favor of maintaining the
union, with the Sunday Herald being the only
Scottish newspaper to support the Yes campaign. The
scaremongering by the press, Bank of England, EU and
Westminster elite was ultimately victorious in
convincing the majority of Scots that independence
would mean they were worse off.
However, the results were nonetheless indicative of
a growing rejection of austerity policies imposed by
Westminster, with the four areas to have voted yes
(Glasgow, Dundee City, West Dunbartonshire and North
Lanarkshire) being the poorest and having the
largest unemployment levels. The figures also showed
a split between older and younger generations, with
71% of 16 – 17 year olds, who were able to vote for
the first time (previous voting age was 18),
supporting independence; compared to just 27% of the
over 65s, leading First Minister Alex Salmond to
accuse older Scots of impeding progress for younger
generations. Despite the result the referendum has
sparked off what many hope to be sustained political
engagement especially within the younger generation.
The recently created campaign group "We are the 45%"
- in reference to the percentage of people who voted
Yes - aims to do just that, by using social media
to continue to push for independence.
Salmond was quick to respond to the result by
resigning, both as First Minister and leader of his
party, a role he has been in for 20 years. Speaking
at his residence at Bute House, Edinburgh, he said,
"The last seven years as first minister of Scotland
has been the privilege of my life but…for me as
leader my time is nearly over. But for Scotland, the
campaign continues and the dream shall never die".
Salmond will stand down in November, with deputy
leader, Nicola Sturgeon, likely to take over party
leadership. Sturgeon has become a commanding figure
in the independence campaign after being appointed
by Salmond to lead the referendum process.
British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated
the Scottish people on choosing to remain part of
the union, stating, “it would have broken my heart
to see our United Kingdom come to an end,” and
pledged to keep to his promises of increased
devolution to the Scottish parliament. However,
Cameron has faced a backlash from backbenchers over
increased powers to Scotland, and constitutional
reforms will only happen if the Conservatives win
the next General Election.
The
promises of more power for the Scottish people have
reignited the calls for devolved powers to other
regions of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The
pressure for change was evident in Cameron’s speech,
where he stated, "Just as Scotland will vote
separately in a Scottish parliament on their issues
of tax, spending and welfare, so too England as well
as Wales and Northern Ireland should be able to vote
on these issues, and all this must take place in
tandem with and at the same pace as the settlement
for Scotland.”
An
indication of this was Cameron’s announcement that
he intends to fast track reforms meaning that
Scottish members of the Westminster parliament will
be unable to vote on issues which solely affect
England, with the prospect of similar measures in
the future for Welsh and Northern Irish MPs.
Indeed the Scottish independence struggle is
reflected across Europe and beyond, with similar
movements in Quebec, Catalonia, Bavaria and
the Ukraine. Many of these movements demonstrated
their support for the Yes campaign in the lead up to
the referendum and have vowed to continue their own
struggles.
Despite the defeat, the referendum has clearly
marked Scotland and the future of the United
Kingdom.
|
