UNIONIST confidence in the strength of the UK is “skin deep at best” or they would put it to a vote, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
In a column for the Daily Record marking 10 years since the 2014 referendum, the former SNP leader also said that the “smart” Unionist politicians know that claims independence is dead in the water are “nonsense”.
Sturgeon, now a backbench MSP after resigning as first minister in 2023, further pointed to the high support for independence among young voters as a reason for hope moving forward.
“In all manner of things, progress can sometimes feel glacial until suddenly it is not,” she wrote. “I believe the same will be true of Scotland’s journey to independence.
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“I am as confident as ever that we will get there, and sooner than might seem likely right now. And when we do, a new phase of building a better Scotland will begin in earnest.”
The former first minister was writing after a new poll from Opinium found that the majority of Scots – 57% – believe there should be a second independence referendum in future.
The poll further found that the plurality – 49% vs 37% – thought Holyrood should have the power to hold independence referendums, but also found a plurality – 47% vs 45% – support remaining in the Union.
Sturgeon said the fact that Unionist politicians were not willing to countenance a second referendum showed they did not truly have confidence in their arguments for the Union.
“The merest glance at opinion polls showing that upwards of 60 per cent of young Scots support independence tell us which way the tide is flowing.
“Indeed, Westminster’s determination to deny Scotland even the choice of independence exposes a confidence in the pro-Union case that is skin deep at best.
“For independence supporters, this is a time to keep making the positive arguments, to paint a compelling vision of Scotland back in the EU, building prosperity and sharing its benefits more fairly. It is also a time to keep the faith.”
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Reflecting on the 2014 referendum campaign, Sturgeon said there had been high tensions at times – and that the defeat for independence “still feels very raw”.
She wrote: “What I remember most about that time is how informed people were. Highly complex issues like currency unions and lender of last resort were explored in depth. People on both sides knew that the decision mattered. We all took it seriously.
“Even people who had never voted in their lives before, turned out to have their say. For the first time, 16 and 17 year olds got to vote too, helping to engage a new generation in the substance of politics.
“Of course, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. While for Yes voters, the referendum was an opportunity to win something that felt precious – the independence of our nation – for No voters, it represented a threat to the Union they cherished. The stakes were high, and tensions sometimes rose to meet them.”
The 2014 referendum defeat for Yes saw then-first minister Alex Salmond step down, being replaced by Sturgeon.
She then led Scotland through nine years during which the SNP scored a series of election victories.
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