This article examines the ten-year anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum, highlighting both its positive and negative aspects. It discusses the high turnout, the engagement of young people, and the spirited debate between Yes and No campaigners. However, it also delves into the dark side of the referendum, including online abuse and aggression from some pro-independence supporters.
The independence referendum was without exception the most extraordinary moment in Scottish political history. Democracies across the world are dogged by poor turnout but 84.6% of voters trooped out ten years ago.
As a journalist who covered the campaign, I’ve grown tired of hearing vacuous nonsense about how there were extremes on both sides. We have witnessed the rise of Unionist trolls in recent times, but during the referendum the excesses were largely on the pro-independence side. Within months of the result being called, Nicola Sturgeon agitated for a rerun that ushered in a decade of division and bitterness. Dangling a phantom indyref2 in front of pro-indy voters that was never going to materialise deepened the splits that already existed in families and workplaces.
Claims about easy access to the EU were also greeted with extreme scepticism. Scots with something to lose worried that jumping into the dark was too big a risk and they voted for the devil they knew. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
Salmond was at it again recently when he claimed the decision of another tabloid not to back Yes was an important moment. The subtext is clear: newspapers are to blame for the No vote, not his dodgy economic prospectus.
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