“I hope Scotland hasn’t lost its social conscience", says Highland MSP
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THE win for the No camp reflected badly on the better off and could be a sign of Scotland losing its social conscience, Highland MSP John Finnie has said.
The leading independence campaigner said a Yes vote would have created a fairer society by sharing the wealth around.
He said strong working class support for the Yes campaign showed that those suffering the most economic hardship were the most desperate for change.
“You’d think those who have a lot would say: ‘Look, I think you should be taxing me a bit more’ but they don’t seem to want to know,” he said.
“I hope Scotland hasn’t lost its social conscience.”
MSP Dave Thompson said sampling of votes cast in Beauly, the Black Isle and parts of Easter Ross indicated a strong show of support for the Better Together campaign.
Better Together admitted its own sampling showed those living in Merkinch and Dalneigh were predominantly yes voters.
Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said there had been too many unanswered questions about independence and she was proud the people of the Highlands and Islands voted ‘no’.
She said the 17 pro-independence groups, which made up the Yes campaign, would still be on the starting block if they had not received donations topping £1.8 million.
“It just shows you that the ability to spend money and the means to buy media space actually works,” she said. “The Better Together campaign was outnumbered from day one.”
“I used to think the Scots wouldn’t be taken in by the Ritz and glitz and glamour but it just shows we’re as susceptible to American-style politics as anywhere else.”
MSP Fergus Ewing, son of the SNP icon Winnie, said it was the UK government’s refusal to negotiate pre-referendum that led to the fall of the Yes campaign.
“It was the currency and the entry to the EU,” he said “They were the biggest problems. But it’s my firm belief that had there been a yes vote there would have been a currency agreement. I would not be surprised if evidence emerges to prove that that was the advice given to the UK government.”
The SNP member for Inverness and Nairn said the day of the polls indicated that he was on the losing side of the campaign but he was “really surprised” at the traditional SNP Moray heartland losing to Better Together.
“I had a feeling we might not win when I was walking around the area on polling day,” he said. “I just picked up the atmosphere.”
He said the referendum, although lost, had done “great things for Scotland”.
“The UK Government has had a gigantic shock,” he said.
“Without the referendum campaign there would not have been this offer of devo max. It’s now on the table and Westminster mustn’t deny it.”
Tory Highland MSP Mary Scanlon said devo max would deliver accountability to the Scottish Parliament. “I’m attending a four-hour meeting next week and it’s called Scotland’s Future,” she said. “I think through the consultation process of devolution there may be other issues coming forward that would benefit from being the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament.”
She admitted fearing Better Together would come off a lot worse than it has in the referendum battle but believes the shock poll that put yes camp in the lead did last-minute wonders for the pro-independence campaign.
“We had farmers and lots of people queuing up asking for posters and signs. That’s when everybody realised how close it was,” she said.
Stephen Fisher, associate professor in political sociology and politics tutor and fellow at Trinity College London, analysed the referendum results. He found those in relatively deprived areas and areas with higher unemployment were much more likely to vote for independence.
