A FASCINATING exercise carried out by a Yes group in Edinburgh has shown that many more Scots now believe that Scotland could stand on its own feet as an independent country.
In the process, Yes Marchmont and Morningside have also shown a way of engaging people who previously voted No and were regretting it or were unsure – the “mibbes” – and got them talking about independence.
Yes Marchmont and Morningside is one of those groups who have been going since early 2014 and didn’t stop after the referendum.
They have distributed leaflets, held public meetings, have attended marches and rallies and hosted no end of stalls.
They currently have about 125 confirmed supporters and are planning three stalls on the Meadows on Saturdays August 4, 11 and 18 from 11am to 1pm “to make sure we show our face at the Festival”, as one member put it.
This month the group carried out a survey on three successive Saturdays in the Bruntsfield area, and got 481 responses in a strongly pro-Union locality that was also strongly pro-Remain.
The results, even allowing for the canvassers not to have taken account of age or background, were instructive. Excluding “unsures” some 59.7% agreed or strongly agreed that Scotland would be better off remaining in the UK – entirely predictable for that area.
However, 59.6% agreed or strongly agreed that Scotland has the resources to thrive as an independent country, while 91.9% agreed or strongly agreed that Scotland would be better off inside the EU.
Perhaps most tellingly, 79.4% disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement “Scotland’s interests are well represented by the Westminster parliament”. And that in an area partially in Ruth Davidson’s constituency.
The group’s concluded: “Unsurprisingly for this area, we found strong support for Scotland remaining within the UK, and very strong opposition to Brexit, which the great majority did not agree would bring financial benefits for Scotland.
“However, some pro-Union pro-EU responders were unclear about how to respond, as they would only countenance Scotland staying within the EU as part of the UK.
“More unexpected is the strong feeling that Scotland’s interests are not well represented in the Westminster parliament.
“Also unexpected is the strong agreement for the proposition that Scotland has the resources to thrive as an independent country.”
What the survey did for the group is what may usefully be learned by other Yes groups – it got them talking to people about the subject of independence in a subtle way that emphasised communication.
Other Yessers please copy.
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