2014 Scottish independence referendum
A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014.[1] The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No".[2] The "No" side won with 2,001,926 (55.3%) voting against independence and 1,617,989 (44.7%) voting in favour. The turnout of 84.6% was the highest recorded for an election or referendum in the United Kingdom since the January 1910 general election, which was held before the introduction of universal suffrage.
"Indyref" redirects here. For other uses of the term, see Independence referendum.
The Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 set out the arrangements for the referendum and was passed by the Scottish Parliament in November 2013, following an agreement between the devolved Scottish government and the Government of the United Kingdom. The independence proposal required a simple majority to pass. All European Union (EU) or Commonwealth citizens residing in Scotland age 16 or over could vote, with some exceptions, which produced a total electorate of almost 4,300,000 people. This was the first time that the electoral franchise was extended to include 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland.
Yes Scotland was the main campaign group for independence, while Better Together was the main campaign group in favour of maintaining the union. Many other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, newspapers, and prominent individuals were also involved. Prominent issues raised during the referendum included what currency an independent Scotland would use, public expenditure, EU membership, and North Sea oil. An exit poll revealed that retention of the pound sterling was the deciding factor for those who voted No, while "disaffection with Westminster politics" was the deciding factor for those who voted Yes.[3]
Administration[edit]
Date[edit]
The Scottish Government announced on 21 March 2013 that the referendum would be held on Thursday 18 September 2014.[1] Some media reports mentioned that 2014 would be the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn[28][29] and that Scotland would also host the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Ryder Cup.[29] Salmond agreed that the presence of these events made 2014 a "good year to hold a referendum".[30]
Eligibility to vote[edit]
Under the terms of the 2010 Draft Bill, the following people were entitled to vote in the referendum:[16]
Issues[edit]
Agriculture[edit]
In 2013, as part of a European Union (EU) member state, Scottish farmers received £583 million in subsidy payments from the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).[77] Annual CAP payments are made to the UK, which then determines how much to allocate to each of the devolved administrations, including Scotland.[78] In the last CAP agreement, farmers in the UK qualified for additional convergence payments because Scottish farmers received a lower average single farm payment per hectare, mainly due to the mountainous terrain in Scotland.[78][79] Supporters of independence therefore believed that an independent Scotland would receive greater agricultural subsidies as an independent state.[78] Opponents of independence believed that Scottish farmers benefited from the Union because the UK was one of the larger EU member states, and therefore had a greater say in CAP negotiations.[78] They also questioned whether an independent Scotland would immediately receive full subsidy payments from the EU, as recent new member states had their subsidies phased in.[78]
Voting[edit]
Administration[edit]
The Scottish Independence Referendum Bill identified the convener of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland as chief counting officer for the referendum.[423] The chief counting officer, Mary Pitcaithly,[424] was supported by a counting officer in each of the 32 local authority areas of Scotland,[424] who was typically the chief executive for that local authority. Each counting officer had a referendum team, which included:
Reactions to the result[edit]
Domestic reaction[edit]
Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement following the referendum, in which she said that it was "a result that all of us throughout the United Kingdom will respect" and that the Royal Family would support all efforts to "work constructively for the future of Scotland and indeed all parts of this country".[443]
Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "delighted" with the result, adding: "it would have broken my heart to see our United Kingdom come to an end and I know that this sentiment was shared not just by people across our country but also around the world".[444] While attending a public event later in September, Cameron told Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York City, that the Queen had "purred down the line" when he informed her of the result.[445] Cameron admitted he was "very embarrassed" for revealing the Queen's political view, which she had guarded in her own comments.[445]
Alex Salmond, the Scottish First Minister and leader of the SNP, stated that he accepted the "verdict of the people" and called upon "all Scots to follow suit in accepting the democratic verdict of the people of Scotland". He called the referendum a "triumph for the democratic process and for participation in politics".[444] He also resigned as SNP leader and as First Minister, saying that "for me as leader my time is nearly over but for Scotland the campaign continues and the dream shall never die".[446]
Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones responded positively to the result. Robinson was "delighted Scotland has voted to remain in the Union".[444]
International reaction[edit]
There was a large international reaction to the results of the Scottish independence referendum.[447] The White House congratulated Scotland on their "full and energetic exercise of democracy".[448] President Barack Obama noted the "debate, discussion, and passionate yet peaceful deliberations"[448] and welcomed the result, saying he looked forward to "continuing our strong and special relationship with all the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".[447]
John Baird, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, welcomed the decision and praised the conduct of the referendum.[449] The Premier of Quebec, Philippe Couillard, said that there were limited comparisons between Scotland and Quebec, where the sovereignty movement lost referendums in 1980 and 1995, and suggested a devolved model similar to federalism as a possible future model for the UK: "I think that if the Scots had what we have, Quebecers within Canada, they probably would be quite happy".[449] Stéphane Bédard, leader of the Parti Québécois, described himself as "disappointed" by the result.[450]
Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, said that, "We [the German government] have always respected the fact that this referendum was called and that the central government in London agreed to this. And now we respect the outcome of it as well". When asked how she felt about the result she replied "I will not comment on this but just smile".[451] Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy, released a statement saying that "The Italian government, also in its capacity as duty president of the EU, hails the result of the vote democratically expressed by the Scottish people," he later sent a message to David Cameron where he said that Scotland "recognised and appreciated diversity" without "fragmenting".[452]
Ireland's Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, stated that the Irish government would respect the "democratic decision that Scotland should remain as part of the United Kingdom", he went on to say how "As neighbours, friends and partners across political, economic, cultural and many other spheres, relations between Ireland and Britain have never been stronger. We look forward to working with all parties across these islands in the years ahead. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 is the historic template for harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands. In particular, it has led to a transformation in relationships between the two great traditions on this island".[453]
In a press release following the referendum, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: "It is an understandable and logical desire of the Scottish people for the central authorities to guarantee respect for their national and cultural identity, language and traditions and also give them more independence to take decisions on Scotland's socio-economic development and its standing in the united state. We have noted that the UK government has extended concrete promises in this regard. We believe that these factors are extremely important not only for Scotland but also in the general context of devolution processes".[454]
Facing the result of the referendum, Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, stated to Norwegian broadcaster NRK she was 'glad' Scotland chose to remain in the union and that Scottish independence could have become challenging for Norway as a neighbouring country.[455]
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, in a video message, said that the Scottish have avoided serious consequences and "have chosen the most favourable option for everyone; for themselves, for all of Britain and for the rest of Europe".[456] Iñigo Urkullu, the President of the Basque Country, stated on the day of the referendum that as the British Government had allowed Scotland to freely decide its own future, the responsibility of the Basque government was to "follow Scotland's footsteps" in securing a similar agreement in Spain.[457] Artur Mas, President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, described the referendum as a model for a future vote in the Catalonia, and said "What happened in Scotland is not a setback for us, because what we really want in Catalonia is to have the chance to vote".[458] On the day after the Scottish referendum, the Catalan parliament voted to hold a "popular consultation" on Catalan independence.[459] The Spanish government said that such a vote would be unconstitutional,[459] but a referendum was held on 9 November 2014 anyway. The large majority (80%) voted for Catalonia to be an independent country, although two-thirds of Catalans did not participate in the referendum.[460]
Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he fully respected "the choice that the people of Scotland have made".[447] President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso said the Scottish vote was good for a "united, open and stronger Europe".[461]
Allegations of voting irregularities[edit]
Ten voters discovered that someone had voted under their names at polling stations in Glasgow,[462] a method of fraud termed 'personation', and this led to an investigation by Police Scotland.[462]
During a BBC results broadcast, Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson said that "No" campaigners had been "taking tallies" of postal votes and that those showed that the "No" campaign was in the lead.[463] This resulted in complaints to the electoral commission because the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 stated that people attending proceedings related to the receipt of postal votes must not attempt to ascertain the outcome or "communicate any information" from that voting.[463] The Electoral Commission, who could not investigate criminal allegations, passed the complaints onto Police Scotland.[463] A formal investigation was subsequently opened,[464] which concluded that there was no criminality.[465]
According to official Russian observers, the conditions under which the votes were counted were not up to international standards and that the procedure used made it impossible to check on irregularities.[466] Russia's criticism came just months after the international community had rejected the results of a Kremlin-backed referendum held in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Crimea.[466] Russian officials said that the strong performance of the Scottish National Party (SNP) at the 2015 general election confirmed their suspicions about the Scottish independence referendum.[467]
A petition demanding a second referendum, based on allegations of vote miscounting, gained more than 70,000 signatures within 24 hours. The petitioners referred to news footage that they claim showed unusual emptying of the boxes, a vote-counter placing Yes-votes between No-votes, an official filling in ballot papers, and Yes-votes on top of stacks placed on No-votes sorting tables, as well as two false fire-alarms and subsequent evacuation of the counting centre in Dundee.[468][469] In response, Chief Counting Officer Mary Pitcaithly declared that the referendum had been "properly conducted". An official spokesperson reiterated this point, saying that they were "satisfied that all counts throughout Scotland were properly conducted" and that incidents in the footage could be "easily explained" and were being presented as a "'conspiracy' theory".[470] Douglas Daniel, a monitoring agent for the pro-independence Wings Over Scotland website, noted that "as with most conspiracy theories, this is largely down to people not understanding what they're seeing" and "trying to fix the count would require pretty much every single member of the counting staff to be in on the scam".[471]