Independence Square

A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom took place on Thursday 18 September 2014. The referendum question, which voters answered with Yes or No, was Should Scotland be an independent country? The No side won, with 2,001,926 voting against independence and 1,617,989 voting in favour. The turnout of 84.6% was the highest recorded for an election or referendum in the United Kingdom since the introduction of universal suffrage. The Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013, setting out the arrangements for the referendum, was passed by the Scottish Parliament in November 2013, following an agreement between the devolved Scottish government and the Government of the United Kingdom. To pass, the independence proposal required a simple majority. With some exceptions, European Union or Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland aged sixteen years or over could vote, a total of almost 4,300,000 people. This was the first time that the electoral franchise was extended to include sixteen and seventeen-year-olds in Scotland. Yes Scotland was the main campaign group for independence, while Better Together was the main campaign group in favour of maintaining the union. Many other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, newspapers and prominent individuals were also involved. Prominent issues raised during the referendum included which currency an independent Scotland would use, public expenditure, EU membership, and North Sea oil. An exit poll of voters revealed that for No-voters, the retention of the pound sterling was the deciding factor, while for yes-voters, the biggest single motivation was disaffection with Westminster politics.
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