Yes Scotland

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Yes Scotland Limited
Formation25 May 2012
TypeCompany limited by guarantee
Registration no.SC422720
FocusScottish independence referendum, 2014
Headquarters136 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 2TG
Key people
Blair Jenkins OBE, Chief Executive
Advisory board: Dennis Canavan (Chairman), Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, Andrew Fairlie, Colin Fox, Pat Kane, Dan Macdonald, Elaine C Smith, Nicola Sturgeon, Sarah-Jane Walls, Patrick Harvie Ellie Koepplinger
Websiteyesscotland.net

Yes Scotland is the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a Yes vote in the Scottish independence referendum, 2014. It was launched in Edinburgh on 25 May 2012.[1] Yes Scotland's chief executive is Blair Jenkins OBE, and Dennis Canavan is the chair of its advisory board.[2] Stephen Noon, a long term employee and policy writer of the SNP, is Yes Scotland's chief strategist. Its principal opponent in the independence campaign is known as Better Together.[3][4][5]

History

Yes Scotland activists at demonstration

Yes Scotland officially opened its campaign staff headquarters on 19 November 2012 in Hope Street, Glasgow. They are open to the public.[6]

In March 2013, a number of Yes Scotland activists promoted the movement at bedroom tax protests throughout Scotland.[7][8]

Yes Scotland first disclosed its finances in April 2013, revealing it had taken over £1.6m in donations.[9]

In July 2013, the Sunday Herald reported that there were "persistent rumours" of funding problems within Yes Scotland, and suggested that these were related to Jacqueline Caldwell and Susan Stewart leaving the campaign organisation. The organisation "shared out" the women's responsibilities between other employees instead of replacing them.[10]

Throughout 2013, Yes Scotland launched specially targeted campaign groups like Veterans for Independence,[11] Farming for Yes,[12] and Crofters for Yes.[13]

In August 2013, the Telegraph reported that Police Scotland were opening a hacking inquiry in response to a complaint received from the campaign about internal emails that appeared to have been accessed illegitimately and leaked to the media.[14]

Participation

The campaign has the support of two parties represented in the Scottish Parliament - the governing Scottish National Party and the Scottish Greens - as well as all three former SNP MSPs who now sit as independent Members: the late Margo MacDonald, Jean Urquhart and John Finnie, and also of former Independent MSP Bill Walker. The Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity have also expressed their support. The Scottish Socialist Party's national spokesperson, Colin Fox, sits on the campaign's Advisory Board.

The organisation has collaborated with the newly set up Labour for Independence, by a few former members of the Scottish Labour Party, supporters who support Scottish independence and a number of SNP members who provided resources; in 2013, Yes Scotland covered the £245 accommodation bill for LFI's first conference.[15]

Other groups supporting a Yes vote include Women for Independence and Business for Scotland.

Donations

In April 2013, the campaign revealed that it had received over £1.6m in donations since its launch the preceding May. Roughly £1.3m of this came from five donors, including the two Euromillions winners, Christine and Colin Weir. A contribution to the value of £342,797 was provided by the Scottish National Party to "fund the start-up and staffing costs including the official launch on May 25, 2012".[9]

Yes Declaration

The campaign aims to have one million residents of Scotland sign its "Yes Declaration", a statement of intent to support the independence of Scotland.[1] Signatures can be input electronically by supporters using the campaign's website, and are also collected by grassroots activists who are encouraged to campaign in their local communities and around Scotland at appropriate events. The Declaration reads:

I believe it is fundamentally better for us all, if decisions about Scotland's future are taken by the people who care most about Scotland, that is, by the people of Scotland.

Being independent means Scotland's future will be in Scotland's hands.

There is no doubt that Scotland has great potential. We are blessed with talent, resources and creativity. We have the opportunity to make our nation a better place to live, for this and future generations. We can build a greener, fairer and more prosperous society that is stronger and more successful than it is today.

I want a Scotland that speaks with her own voice and makes her own unique contribution to the world: a Scotland that stands alongside the other nations on these isles, as an independent nation.

The Sunday Mail newspaper reported that by 1 July 2012 approximately 22,000 people had signed the Declaration and less than 8000 signed up to the cause on the first day, 'prompting organisers to remove a counter from their website'. The newspaper went further by stating that 'There was more embarrassment when it emerged they used actors in a picture on the site.'[16] In September, Alex Salmond announced that Yes Scotland had gathered over 100,000 signatures for the Yes Declaration.[17] By St. Andrew's Day of the same year, the figure had risen to 143,000, to which a Better Together spokesman responded that ″If they want to sign up enough Scots to win a majority, they will still be chasing signatures in 2018”[18] The total reached 372,103 by 24 May 2013, with 16 months to go until the referendum.[19]

Criticism

Two weeks after the official launch of the campaign, Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie distanced his party from Yes Scotland, saying it was "entirely an SNP vehicle". He suggest that "could lead to defeat at the referendum in 2014".[20] The Guardian also reported that the campaign was forced to "restructure" its website because "it appeared to claim that anyone who followed its Twitter feed – including senior BBC journalists and opposition politicians – were supporters of independence" and for "doctoring stock images of actors by adding yes badges".

There has been some criticism over endorsements by high-profile figures who do not reside in Scotland, including Hollywood actor Alan Cumming, James Bond star Sir Sean Connery, and actor Brian Cox.[21] The Yes Scotland launch, which featured actors Alan Cumming and Brian Cox, came under fire from critics who branded it a "handknitted Hogmanay show".[22]

In August 2013, the chief executive of Better Together, Blair MacDougall, accused figures within Yes Scotland of "copy[ing]" his campaign's slogan - "best of both worlds" - to "reassure voters over independence". In response, a senior SNP source said that "It's arrogant of the No campaign to claim ownership of language."[23]

Later in August, Yes Scotland filed a police complaint that its internal emails had been accessed illegitimately. Details of the particular email that was accessed were not initially released, but it was later revealed to be correspondence with Dr Elliot Bulmer in connection with an article he wrote for the Herald in July, A Scottish constitution to serve the common weal. Their campaign opponents, Better Together, accused Yes Scotland of "secretly paying off supposedly impartial experts" and urged an inquiry, as Dr Bulmer is research director of the Constitutional Commission, a registered charity which states that it has no political alignment. Yes Scotland said the payment was a "nominal fee for the considerable time and effort [Dr Bulmer] spent" on the piece, and its content was not influenced.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Scottish independence: One million Scots urged to sign 'yes' declaration". BBC News. 25 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Scottish independence: Blair Jenkins OBE named Yes Scotland chief". BBC News. 28 June 2012.
  3. ^ Peterkin, Tom (30 December 2012). "SNP 'could disband' after independence". Scotland On Sunday. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  4. ^ Yes vote will 'stop Westminster system's damaging changes to Scotland' | Yes Scotland
  5. ^ Maddox, David (31 December 2012). "Scottish independence: No chance a 'yes' vote would be end of SNP, says Jim Sillars". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  6. ^ McArdle, Helen (20 November 2012). "Yes Scotland opens new city base". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  7. ^ Peterkin, Tom (31 March 2013). "Bedroom tax: Thousands protest across Scotland". The Scotsman.
  8. ^ "Thousands rally in Glasgow to protest Coalition's 'bedroom tax'". STV. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Yes Scotland publish list of donors for indyref campaign". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  10. ^ "Cash questions for Yes Scotland as another senior figure quits after just six months". 7 July 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Independent Scotland's armed forces 'should focus on peace'". 8 June 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  12. ^ "2014 'Yes' team targets farmers". 29 July 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Scottish independence: crofters launch campaign". 1 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  14. ^ "Yes Scotland calls in police over hacking claim". 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Fresh questions raised over pro-independence group's Labour credentials". 4 August 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  16. ^ Aitken, Mark (1 July 2012). "Embarrassment for SNP as only 22,000 Scots sign 'declaration of independence'". Sunday Mail. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  17. ^ Salmond announces 100,000 signed 'yes' declaration www.snp.org 22 September 2012
  18. ^ "Yes Scotland signs up 143,000 supporters,". BBC News. BBC. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  19. ^ Yes Scotland hail 372,000 Independence Declaration signatures www.heraldscotland.com, 24 May 2013
  20. ^ Scottish Greens pull back from SNP pro-independence campaign | Politics | theguardian.com
  21. ^ Scots film star Alan Cumming ditches New York to back independence vote - Daily Record
  22. ^ Embarrassment for SNP as only 22,000 Scots sign 'declaration of independence' - Daily Record
  23. ^ Scottish independence: Row over campaign phrase - The Scotsman
  24. ^ Political row after Yes Scotland say: we paid academic for Herald article | Herald Scotland

External links

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