Dear Generation Yes — An open letter to the new generation who hoped for Scottish independence

It will happen one day, thanks to you…

This is a time when you will feel the hurt.

But despite the outcome of the referendum you have been part of a historic event, a momentous change. Even if it was not yet the change you had been hoping for.

Because of the pain and disappointment it worth taking the trouble to look back in history a little, to see how far we have come to be here at this point.

It might seem to you that 1997 was a long time ago. For many in Generation Yes it was around the time you born. That was when we had the 11/9 referendum, the ‘Yes/Yes’ vote, that saw the establishment of the Scottish Parliament. Until it happened, few people had dared hoped to see the day.

We remember the despair of the years before, particularly on 10 April 1992, when not a single Conservative MP was elected in Scotland, but we still had the prospect of another five years of Tory power in Westminster. Any form of ‘home rule’ in Scotland at that time seemed like an impossible dream.

But on 11 September 1997, just five years later, we had the chance to make that change. We were able to deliver our votes to create our parliament.
The Scottish Parliament that we now take for granted. The Parliament that many were sceptical about, that Billy Connolly worried would turn out as a ‘wee prentendy parliament’.

This Parliament is not everything that it could and should be. But it has given us the chance to make laws for ourselves, preserve the NHS, keep free university tuition fees, protect our vulnerable, and pursue a society based on social justice.

This is the Parliament that enabled us to have the 2014 Referendum on independence. And it has changed the voting age for the referendum (and hopefully will do so for all elections) to 16, so you could have your say.
The Parliament is still young, it has much work to do. And hopefully it will become more powerful now.

So remember how it was born out of the despair and despondency of 1992, out of a time when no one thought they would ever see that day.

And remember also how far we have come from there.

Scottish independence used to be the dream of the few, of a minority of a minority. It was seen as the pursuit of the idealists and the fringes. Even when the Scottish Nationalist Party first formed a government in 2007, they were seen as winning despite their agenda for independence, not because of it.

When the movement for the referendum first went forward in 2011 there were few people who thought there would be any chance of it being successful.

Scottish independence is now mainstream. Don’t be fooled into thinking it was ‘only’ 45%.

It was 45% who said they wanted a new independent Scotland, in a referendum that could have led to that change. I would not have believed that possible just a few years ago.

Now anything is possible.

You were given a vote this time and you used it wisely and responsibly. Those of us in the older generations gave great thought to you, as you will one day inherit the leadership of this country. We want it to be a country you are proud of and that gives you every opportunity to prosper and succeed.

There shall be an independent Scotland, one day.

The question really is how and why. If we give thought to that, then the Yes will be delivered.

We must learn from the fears of our fellows, why they did not feel that this was the time to make the change.

What is it about the union that they wish to keep, and what is it about independence that gave them caution? If we can understand those things, then the task of convincing the majority that independence is the best future for Scotland becomes so much easier.

This is a fitting time for you to come into this new landscape of Scotland. Alex Salmond’s sad resignation illustrates that the baton is in the process of being passed down to you.

It may take a generation to achieve the goal that we are looking for. For the magic of a Yes vote that takes us past the 50% tipping point. It may happen sooner.

But what will make that happen is for you to apply yourself, use the role model of Salmond to see how to take an idea out from the wilderness into the mainstream. We can all do this in our own way.

We can all help to take the mainstream idea of independence and make it so compelling that the majority want it. Not just an uneasy 55%, but a comfortable 60 or 70%.

It is about many things, pride in our nation, economic security, social justice, reassurance about our relations with our neighbours and the wider world, and much more besides.

Just as in 1997 the idea of a Parliament was unstoppable and uncontroversial, we can similarly work together to make the idea of independence the most secure and viable option for our future – without the room for doubt and fear.

To do this we can and should work together. As Salmond has said, this is about far more than a single person, or a single party. The SNP have been the catalyst, but the Yes Campaign mobilised people and ideas from across the country.

The cause of independence needs a rainbow alliance that continues onwards and upwards from the 45% on 18 September 2014. People of all parties should be part of this, as well as those who have don’t want to give allegiance to any.

Together we will do this.

We will achieve independence one day, and create an inclusive, diverse Scotland that is at ease with itself and with our neighbours and friends.

And it is you, Generation Yes, that will make that happen.

Malory Nye is an academic and writer who teaches at the University of Glasgow. He can be found on Twitter (@malorynye) and on his website, malorynye.com.

His book ‘There shall be an independent Scotland’ (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WJ34HSW) was published in 2015.

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