Perthshire MP recalls Indy referendum in new book

A Perthshire politician’s insider account of the 2014 Independence referendum will be launched just before the historic poll’s 10th anniversary.

Perth and Kinross-shire MP Pete Wishart’s book was written from diary entries during the months running up to the September 18, 2014, referendum – as well as when the No 55 to 45 margin of victory was revealed.

Mr Wishart, a Perthshire SNP MP since 2001, looks at media coverage, grassroots movements, speeches and rallies – and a sense that Scotland’s political landscape was set to change forever.

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He said: “It was a really galvanising and totally immersive experience being involved in the Yes campaign.

“I’ve tried to capture the ups and downs. There were periods where I felt we were doing really well and we felt we might be onto something.

“Then there’s other parts where I thought things weren’t going so well and I try to be even-handed.

“We made lots of good friends and allies - people who had never been involved in politics before really started to think about their country, what type of future they wanted.

“It was the evolution of this huge campaign and the way it impacted every sector of society in Scotland that I think was hugely impressive.

“I hope that when people read the book they’ll reflect back just upon the optimism, the energy, the sheer sense of a campaign going somewhere.

“Though the Scottish Independence Referendum ended with a 55–45 percent victory for No, the SNP remained the dominant party of Scottish politics.

“And even following the setback of the 2024 General Election, the cause for Independence remains an aspiration and unresolved ambition for many Scots. Opinion polls in recent years have put support for Independence around 50 percent – higher even than at the time of the Indyref.

“The cause for Independence has resisted the shifting political seas and the swing of the political pendulum.

“Inside the Indyref reveals how one simple question, put to Scots in September 2014, has proven not to be more than a once-in-a generation event, but rather a defining event of a political generation.”

The book launch takes place at The Royal George Hotel on publication day, Thursday, September 12, at 6.30pm.