‘Scotland will say YES’ by John Patton

Derryman John Patton has lived in Scotland since 1971 where he was head teacher in  two  non-denominational schools. He was elected President of the Educational Institute of Scotland, one of a very small number of non-Scots and the only Irish person to do so. A committed credit union enthusiast from his Derry origins, he was the National Development Officer of the Scottish movement for seven years and frequently worked with ministers in the new  Edinburgh Parliament.

“A Scottish Parliament- not an end; a means to greater ends”,  Donald Dewar, Scotland’s First Minister, said when the present Scottish Parliament was established in 1999. He also quoted the dictum of  his Welsh colleague,  Ron Davis – “Devolution is a process and not an event”.  Dewar had to fight hard within the new Blair administration to ensure that it kept  its promise to the Scottish people since his enthusiasm for the project was not universally shared within the Party and was opposed by the Tories. The structure which emerged, with its mixture of first-past-the-post constituencies and 8 parliamentary regions where the electorate vote not for an individual but a political party, was an electoral contrivance, given the great dominance of Labour in Scotland, to ensure that the Nationalists would never have power. Or so it was thought.

In May 2007, the SNP, as the largest party, formed a minority Government and even in those constricting circumstances, its competence impressed observers and the electorate who re-elected Alex Salmond and his Party in 2011 with an overall majority and, crucially, with a mandate to seek a referendum on Scottish independence. The   Campaign was launched by both sides, YES Scotland  and Better Together in 2012; the difference in style and character was stark right from the start. The pro-Independence people formed a broad, rainbow coalition of support which embraced the wider community while Better Together produced an unlikely coalition of Labour, Tories and LibDems.  YES looked to the future prospects of an independent Scotland where the people who live here would take the decisions which affect their everyday lives. Better Together countered with a series of negative scare stories in a campaign that was characterised through its disparate nature as cautious, confusing and hesitant. However, the polls gave them a comfortable lead up until a few weeks ago.

The YES Campaign has been vibrant and inclusive; groups such as Women for Independence, Teachers for Yes, Business Scotland, the National Collective – a forum of writers, musicians artists and people involved in the arts  have held packed meetings in pubs, local halls and street corners. The Referendum has brought a good spirited engagement and animation to Scottish civic life that is unprecedented in a political campaign. International media are saluting it as an outstanding, mature model of the democratic process. There is little doubt that the poll on Thursday next will exceed 80%.

The Scottish people have become radical and restless; they have been given a vision of a positive future and they welcome it; the majority are unimpressed by the promises of a dated, political alliance; freshly politicised working people recognise that they have the intellectual capacity to make serious choices; they believe that the Tories have manipulated the financial crisis, caused by banks, to make   austerity an ideology which will cut vital services, hammer the poor and is totally alien to Scottish values. 

Scots are weary of being passengers on a voyage commanded by Westminster and now they want to be the captains in charge of their own destiny; they have glimpsed the possibility of radical change and  are enthusiastic to see more; they know that Scotland is a wealthy country and now they want to create a wealthy and inclusive society.   There is now full realisation that this may only be realised, achieved and implemented with Independence.

For the triumph of hope over fear, it has to be YES.