IN common with her character in Two Doors Down, Elaine C Smith believes in telling it like it is – although maybe without the sweary words.
Christine calls a spade an effing spade and Smith doesn’t believe in fostering illusions about the problems an independent Scotland might face.
“It won’t be all unicorns and rainbows,” she says. “The campaign will have to give people a realistic view and tell them some things will be hard, but it will be hard either way and maybe we can do a better job. Even the Tories must be looking at the debacle down south and wondering what on Earth is going on.”
As chair of the Scottish Independence Convention since its inception in 2005, Smith is used to taking the long view.
In her position on the left of the political spectrum, she had come to realise, as many others did, that independence was a better route to a fairer society than relying on the UK Government.
“It was obvious that Westminster was failing Scotland terribly and I thought we should grow up and do things ourselves,” she explains.
READ MORE: Extract: Your memories of the 2014 independence referendum
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When Yes Scotland began, she was asked to be on the advisory board and served on it for two years, juggling her career and family commitments with the unpaid voluntary position.
“People sometimes said I was doing it because I was getting something out of it, but I never even claimed a bus fare.
“The most inspiring meetings were when we asked people to tell us what they wanted. I also witnessed the fear and anxiety people had, and the difficulties they had in believing it could be done.”
With the polls showing 28% of voters in favour of independence at the start of the campaign, Smith at first did not think Yes could win.
“I thought we would run them close and give them a big fright, especially Labour who had let down the working class of Scotland for too many years,” she says.
As the date for the vote grew closer she allowed herself to hope and dream independence was within reach, but sensed a change in the last few days of the campaign.
“I could tell fear was coming into the equation and I have to admit that we did not answer some of the questions that we should have,” she recalls. “I was obviously devastated at the result, especially after all that wonderful emotion, but then I was asked to speak at a Women for Independence meeting in Perth.
“They kept changing the venue and I wondered what it was all about, but more than 1000 women turned up. Some of them had just come to Yes two weeks before.
“We now have a really stark choice about the type of place we want to be living in. I live in hope and I am seeing a significant shift among people that I know voted No.
“They are not jumping up and down about how great independence would be and that is one of the things we have to say – being grown up is not easy but that is what other countries have to do.”
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