Scotland's Yes movement: Inspired or disillusioned?
What's been going on with Scotland's push for independence? Glenn Campbell from the BBC provides an explanation.
If Nicola Sturgeon's plans had proceeded as expected, Scottish citizens would have been preparing to vote in a secondary vote for independence.
Back in June of the previous year, the former premier declared her plan to hold the election on October 19, 2023.
The Supreme Court's decision shattered her expectations, as it was declared that she lacked the authority to accomplish her goal. This left the SNP with no other option but to start anew.
The party came to a consensus on Sunday, outlining their plan for independence. Their strategy is centered around securing a minimum of 29 seats in Scotland during the upcoming general election.
In 2019, the SNP was able to secure 48 seats during the election, but recent surveys indicate that the party has experienced a significant drop in its previous domination over Labour.
Both the Conservative and Labour parties have promised to continue rejecting any requests for a new referendum. However, the hopes and desires of the Yes campaign persist.
Last weekend, Mandi McInnes of Perth and Beverley Craig of Crieff joined the Chain of Freedom independence event in Scotland. This involved members of the Yes movement physically linking arms to attempt to create a chain of human beings across the central belt region.
Mandi, while queuing up in Glasgow beside the Forth and Clyde canal, expressed that events like these exhibited to the younger generation of Scots that there's still a significant urge for independence and a beneficial substitute to Westminster.
Beverley expressed the same worries as many who support independence that their opinions are not being properly represented in the media.
She mentioned that there are individuals who are not necessarily associated with the independence movement but believe that the idea of independence is no longer alive.
Some acquaintances I recently made expressed their belief that the situation changed when Nicola [Sturgeon] departed, but I disagreed with them.
Beverley Craig and Mandi McInnes joined in the Chain of Freedom gathering alongside numerous others.
Wilma Bowie played a key role in putting together the Chain of Freedom occasion.
The individual from Inverness who is passionate about promoting causes informed BBC Scotland that a greater number of females than males had enrolled to participate.
According to Sir John Curtice, a politics professor at the University of Strathclyde and president of the British Polling Council, there have been some noticeable changes in voting patterns since the 2014 elections. He mentioned that women's voting intentions have shown a significant change, as have the attitudes of young Scottish voters.
According to him, over the past few years, the youth voters have been continuously showing greater support towards the notion of independence as compared to the ones who are 35 or older.
An expert in public opinion studies pointed out that Brexit is the main topic in the discussion about Scotland's independence. The majority of Scottish people voted to stay in the European Union, with a margin of 62% to 38%. However, the United Kingdom as a whole voted to leave, with 52% in favor and 48% against.
Neil Mackay, who is 40 years old, played a part in creating All Under One Banner, a group that advocates for a common cause. They have organized 39 happenings in different parts of Scotland since 2015.
The 40th occasion that was supposed to happen in Edinburgh earlier this month was canceled as it rained heavily.
Despite the fact that the cause was severe weather, certain members of the movement feel that enthusiasm has decreased in the past few years.
The highest number of people participating in marches was seen in 2019, which was also when the Brexit discussion was ongoing. This contributed to the fact that the matter regarding the constitution was kept as the most relevant issue in both Scottish and UK politics.
According to Mr. Mackay, a resident of Helensburgh, a second referendum seemed like a feasible possibility at that time.
The Yes movement has experienced divisions in the past few years due to various reasons such as the resignation of Ms Sturgeon, probing of SNP finances by the police, debates about gender identity reform, and disparities about the course of achieving independence.
The source of the image is PA Media.
Important Scottish government officials have been prominently involved in events related to independence ever since Humza Yousaf took over from Nicola Sturgeon.
According to Mr. Mackay, who spoke to BBC Scotland News, although activists maintain hope, continuous deceptions have led to people feeling disenchanted with the political leaders. The many fake peaks have caused individuals to lose faith.
Humza Yousaf, who promised to be the leading campaigner after being chosen as Ms Sturgeon's replacement, has attempted to build stronger connections with the grassroots organization by participating in Yes events.
During the recent SNP conference, he called on both the SNP and the larger pro-independence community to come together and support his approach towards achieving independence.
According to Mr. Mackay, Mr. Yousaf's government is not showing sufficient motivation, as demonstrated by their new strategy to attain independence.
He expressed that Westminster is not open for discussions and negotiations, stating that it is a definite rejection regardless of which political party is in power, be it Labour, Tories, or any other party.
According to Mr. Mackay, the rejuvenated youth movement is crucial in garnering backing for independence.
He said to BBC Scotland News that in order for them to be excited about it, they must feel that it is impending. He further elaborated that this is particularly true for young people.
Although he was not yet old enough to cast his ballot in 2014, Cameron Garrett began backing the idea of independence after the European Union referendum in 2016.
The photo was taken by Cameron Garrett.
Cameron Garrett, like numerous enthusiasts of independence, is driven by a wish to once again join the European Union.
The young adult, residing in Dumfries and Galloway, has taken on the role of co-leader for the Scottish Young Greens at the age of 20.
He stated that despite having some initial momentum, the Yes movement now faces more difficult and unclear political circumstances due to the recent ruling by the Supreme Court. This ruling has made it clear that the Scottish government cannot hold a referendum without the approval of Westminster.
Mr. Garrett informed BBC Scotland News that although something may have prevented it, it doesn't imply that the assistance is no longer available.
He mentioned that the campaign's success would heavily depend on devoted and passionate young individuals who share common beliefs and goals when it comes to combating the effects of climate change and creating meaningful connections with our European counterparts.
The activist stated, "It's often expressed that the youth are the hope for tomorrow, which is true. However, we shouldn't underestimate the fact that we play a significant role in the current times as well."
The voices of the youth have been neglected and disregarded for a considerable period of time, causing them vast disappointment and frustration.
According to Prof Curtice, the backing for independence has stabilized at approximately 49% in 2023 (while ignoring those who haven't decided yet), after a small boost happened after the Supreme Court's conclusion.
Judith Allardyce, hailing from Edinburgh, declares herself to be an ardent advocate for independence and actively campaigned for the Yes side before the referendum.
Despite the prominence of Brexit in British politics, she persisted in participating in protests and even became a member of the SNP. This was due to the fact that Brexit had made the constitutional debate a crucial issue that needed to be addressed.
However, she has not participated in any protests since before the pandemic. This is mainly because she believes that even though attending marches can be enjoyable, they do not contribute to developing a shared agreement on constitutional matters.
According to her, the difficulty that individuals who have firmly taken sides in the Yes or No debate face lies in persuading a smaller cohort who remain undecided.
"She stated that marches by themselves won't achieve anything," she expressed. "We require a plan of some sort."
She stated: "I believe their objective is solely to sustain the enthusiasm of those who already strongly support the Yes movement."
Although those involved in the independence movement desire an effective plan for gaining political success, Professor Curtice cautioned that the difficulty lies in convincing individuals that the disadvantages of not being a part of the European Union outweigh the disadvantages of not being a part of the United Kingdom.
He expressed that without a clear and logical solution from both parties, the outcome of public opinion in Scotland cannot be determined.
