Unbreakable Spirit: Scottish Solidarity after the Independence Referendum
“This is Edinburgh!” With his arms stretched wide like he was trying to hug everyone in the pub at once, the elderly man I had just met exclaimed this to me with a smile spread wide across his face and glowing pride in his gruff yet friendly voice. It was a Tuesday night at 6pm and I was sitting in Biddy Mulligan’s, my favorite restaurant on Grass Market in the heart of Edinburgh, with my flatmate Emily when we were joined by two elderly couples. Emily and I were seated next to each other on the same side of a booth and the couple smiled at us and asked if they could join us on the other side since nearly the whole restaurant was already full. Typical of the Scottish people, they were immensely friendly and fun. They pulled us up to dance with them and told anyone who would listen that we were visiting from California, as welcoming as could be. As we twirled, stomped, and clapped there were smiles all around. The energy and connection between everyone in the pub, even strangers, was palpable. They all shared a love for this place: a love for the song, a love for Edinburgh, a love for Scotland. But this love, or perhaps pride in where they are from connected them all deeply in a way that even I could feel.
This summer was a really interesting time to be in Scotland because Scotland was in the wake of a historic independence referendum that did not pass. Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom, meaning the Scottish government is not entirely responsible for its own operations, but must answer to the British government in London. On September 18, 2014 Scotland voted on the Scottish Independence Referendum which asked voters to vote yes or no on the question “Should Scotland be an independent country?” and required a simple majority. 1.6 million people, 45% of Scotland’s population, voted for independence. Despite this large number of yes votes, the votes against independence still were the majority. Voter turnout was 84.6%, the highest turnout for an election in Scottish history. Many people believe that this was a vote that was a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and that despite the referendum’s failure, it was still a victory for the Scottish people, it brought them together in a surge of national pride. Though I never visited Scotland prior to the vote, I felt very lucky to be able to witness a nation so full of pride and to meet people so connected to their national identity. As an American, I feel connected to this desire for independence. We as a country so value freedom; I feel that this drive and thirst for autonomy is in my blood and it made me feel very connected to Scotland’s wish to free themselves from the chains of an overseer that they feel is not working in their best interest.
For the vote, there were two main campaign groups. The big yes campaign group was called “Yes Scotland” and the main no campaign group was called “Better Together.” Even though I was in Scotland June and July of 2015, nearly a year after the vote, there were remnants of the vote everywhere I looked. The very first day I got to the city I began noticing signs. These signs were light blue and in big white letters just said “Yes.” Such a simple message, but so powerful; it gave me chills every time. The first time I noticed a sign was in the corner of an apartment window. I then began noticing signs all over the city. There were Yes stickers on cars, buttons in shops, signs under glass tables of cash registers, and the most striking Yes sign I saw was written on a Scottish flag. Riding through the Highlands on a bus, it was impossible not to just be continuously looking out the window at the beautiful scenery, and homes and towns were few and far between. On the way to Fort Augustus to take a Loch Ness cruise, we passed a simple two-story house that caught my eye because of a flag in its window. Written in the white part of the flag was YES 45.
Though the Yes campaign lost the vote, the spirit of independence very clearly lives on. Along with the Yes flags and signs, there are also many places in Scotland where lines from the Declaration of Arbroath are displayed. The Declaration of Arbroath was a letter written to Pope John XXII in 1320. It is seen by many people as being the document that first declared Scotland as its own nation instead of a feudal land under England’s control. Scotland wanted to be its own nation under King Robert the Bruce, who had been excommunicated by the Pope. Our very own Declaration of Independence is partially inspired by this document. The document was written as an explanation as to why Scotland was fighting off the English who threatened invasion of Scotland. One of the most common lines drawn from it is “As long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” I connected deeply with the sentiment of freedom at any cost and I am now the proud owner of a key chain and a bookmark with this eloquent quote brandished across them that I purchased from the Wallace Monument gift shop. Clearly I was not the only tourist to be overcome with passion because there were many other items in the gift shop that included the quote as well: hats, mugs, shirts, golf balls, etc. In a much grander nationalistic gesture, this quote is written beautifully on a wall inside the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
The strong black paint strokes contrast against the plain white walls in a poetic way that reflects the spirit of Scotland that I know.
A mighty, unapologetic, confidence despite the country’s small size (about the size of Maine). Besides this one very large display, I noticed the quote in more subtle and unexpected places across Scotland as well. The most prominent example that stuck with me was in a pub. I do not remember the name of the pub, unfortunately, but it was just off of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. The pub was decorated with flags from all over the world. Not just big flags, but small flags papered the walls as well. Along with these flags there was a framed poster of the Scottish Flag waving in the wind with “As long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule” written across it. Like the couples I encountered in Biddy Mulligan’s, the flags show a spirit of inclusiveness to people of all backgrounds. No matter where you come from, no matter who you are, you are welcome. But the poster, like the man telling me “This is Edinburgh!” show the strong sense of identity that the people of Scotland have as a nation. They know exactly who they are. Legal independence or not, they are their own nation and have their own beautiful culture and identity. They will not be stepped on. They will not be ignored. They will not be pushed around.
A man I met named Stuart is a very proud Scot and a strong advocate for Scottish Independence. He even wore a Scottish flag pin on his coat collar. Despite the failure of the referendum, Stuart is hopeful. He does not think that this was a once-in-a-generation opportunity at Scottish independence, and in fact he even said he is glad the vote did not pass. Stuart does not want just a simple majority. He believes that if Scotland is to be independent, there needs to be a huge majority, nearly everyone in the country needs to be on board. There needs to be a strong resounding call of yes, not a din of clashing yes’s and no’s. Interestingly, I did not meet a single person in Scotland who told me they had been against the independence referendum when I asked. I only came across two people who even said they were simply indifferent to the issue, everyone else was absolutely, one hundred percent on board. Though it is easy to say one thing and behave in a way that is totally different, I truly believed every last one of them. There was a sincerity in their voices that could not be faked. A fire in their eyes that I could tell began right in their souls. I don’t know enough about politics, Scotland, or England to have any idea what will happen next for Scotland’s independence, but I do know that whatever happens, the fiery spirit of the Scottish people with never be broken.
