THE newspaper editor responsible for the Vow is just one of the previous No voters who has changed his mind about independence in the years since the historic 2014 vote.
Murray Foote’s views are included in one of a number of interviews conducted to coincide with the Progress Scotland launch.
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Foote’s decision to publish the Vow in the Daily Record on the eve of the independence referendum is thought to have been influential in swinging the vote to No. He said he orchestrated the pledge – corralling Westminster party leaders David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg to offer Holyrood more powers if it voted No – because he believed most Scots wanted it.
He has now signed up to the independence cause as a result of Westminster’s “vindictive policies”.
He said: “With mounting anger I’ve watched the Westminster Government choose to inflict vindictive policies across Britain. And, despite overwhelming evidence, they continue to deny the damage their policies cause.
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“Now we teeter on the brink of Brexit, an act of self-harm for which future generations will pay a heavy price. Again, Brexit is a choice. But it’s not Scotland’s choice. Throughout this unfolding calamity, the Westminster Government has treated Scotland’s democratic preferences with shameful contempt.
“As a dad, I dread the prospect of shackling my daughters to an isolated Britain ruled indefinitely by this callous, self-serving elite. For all our children, this cannot be as good as it gets. It’s our duty to secure for them a better future. I believe that’s best achieved through independence.”
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