THE former chairman of the 2014 Yes campaign has launched a scathing attack on Scottish Labour’s opposition to independence and a second referendum accusing the party of being “increasingly out of touch” with its voters.
Dennis Canavan made his assessment following the publication of a poll last weekend which gave record support for independence while support for the Union had fallen.
The veteran campaigner, an ex-Labour MP and independent MSP, noted that the key findings of the Panelbase poll – 54% for independence and 46% for the Union – was almost a complete reversal of the result of the independence referendum in September 2014 when 45% of Scots voted Yes and 55% No.
The online survey also found apart from SNP voters, Labour supporters were the most sympathetic to independence, with 43% of people who had voted Labour at the December General Election backing independence, while 57% would vote for the Union.
Canavan said persuading more Labour voters to back independence would be crucial to helping win the next referendum as he warned Scots faced a choice between UK austerity under Boris Johnson’s Government or the chance “to build a better and fairer Scotland” under independence.
“This is great news and almost a complete reversal of the 2014 referendum result,” he told The National.
“This latest poll also shows that the Labour leadership is increasingly out out of touch with Labour voters. I have always believed that winning sufficient Labour supporters to the cause of independence is the key to winning indyref2.
“We are now well on our way to victory but there is no room for complacency. We must work harder than ever to win more hearts and minds to our cause. The people of Scotland are faced with a choice. Boris Johnson offers more austerity, whereas independence will give us the opportunity to build a better and fairer Scotland.”
The Panelbase poll of 1070 voters in Scotland was carried out from June 15 to 19 – and just weeks after Scottish Labour announced it would oppose a second independence referendum in its Holyrood election campaign next year.
The announcement followed a meeting of the party’s ruling executive committee and the election of arch-independence critic MSP Jackie Baillie to the post of party deputy leader.
In the wake of December’s General Election, where the party was left with a single MP, Ian Murray, several senior figures – including MSPs Monica Lennon and Neil Findlay – had called for the party to review its opposition to a second independence vote, fearing the position was responsible for the loss of support. But instead those backing opposition to a new vote on independence won out, hoping the position would help the party claw back some Unionist voters who have switched to the Conservatives.
The Panelbase poll found support for the Union much higher among Tory and LibDem voters than among Labour voters, with 94% of Conservatives and 84% of Lib Dem voters opposed to independence respectively, compared to 57% of Labour voters.
Last year, following Johnson’s win in the General Election, Canavan said the Prime Minister will act as a “recruiting sergeant” for independence if he refuses to grant a second referendum. He said the task of convincing more Scots to back a Yes vote was being made easier by UK ministers’ refusal to grant MSPs the legal powers required to stage such a vote.
Canavan, 77, was first elected a Labour MP for the West Stirlingshire constituency in 1974, which was later redrawn and renamed Falkirk West. He held the seat at each subsequent election until he stood down in 2000. By then he was an independent MSP, having quit the party in a row over candidate selection ahead of the first Scottish Parliamentary elections in 1999. He remained in Holyrood as an independent until his retirement in 2007.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel