ALEX Salmond has marked the failed attempt to hold another independence referendum – originally slated to go ahead tomorrow – by saying the SNP have “failed” Yessers.
The Alba leader released a statement ahead of October 19 – the date former first minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland would again vote on its constitutional future.
In a statement to Parliament in June last year, Sturgeon told MSPs she was proposing October 19 as the date for indyref2, subject to the approval of the Supreme Court.
Later that year, the court blocked the Scottish Parliament from holding another constitutional poll.
When the court route failed, the former SNP leader pledged to fight the next Westminster General Election as a de facto referendum on independence – a plan which was officially binned at the party’s conference earlier this week.
In a statement marking the date, Salmond highlighted how George Square had been an unofficial gathering place for Yessers on the eve of the referendum in 2014 and said today it lay “empty because those that said they would give Scots that choice again today failed to deliver what they had promised”.
He said: “Last year, the Scottish Government said no ifs, no buts, Thursday, October 19 was the date a new referendum would be held.
“We were then told when the Supreme Court misadventure backfired that there would be a de facto referendum at next year’s General Election and now that’s not happening.
“Instead we now have Plan C to ask the UK Government to give ‘democratic effect’ to the outcome of a General Election – in other words to ask permission to hold a referendum the same way they’ve been asked since 2016 and we all know we will get the same response – which will be ‘no’ regardless of how Scotland votes.
“In 2014, George Square in Glasgow, renamed as ‘Freedom Square’ by many, was a square full of joyous political expectation. It’s where the crowds gathered anticipating the vote as the momentum built up to September 18.
“It was a square where people came to commiserate the day after when the vote didn’t go our way.
“They were attacked, incidentally, by a small gang of Unionist thugs which was the only violence which marred an otherwise celebration of democracy through that wonderful summer of 2014.
“So it became symbolic of people’s desire and wish and yearning to have the democratic right to choose our own future.
“Today, sadly the square is empty because those that said they would give Scots that choice again today failed to deliver what they had promised.
“The day after I announced I was resigning office after the referendum, I said I was confident because of the democratic expression of Scots that people would not go back into the shadows and the momentum for the Yes campaign would be carried forward.
“I’m still confident of that, despite the missteps of politicians, despite the SNP vote going down – support for independence is strong and if people keep that faith and arrange the political furniture, then they’ll find the politicians determined to honour that promise.
“So today, on the date that was promised to have been another referendum, let’s celebrate as our heroes of our nation; the ordinary people of Scotland who are the guardians of our country’s future.”
SNP members earlier this week agreed a new strategy on which to push for independence, which would see the party consider gaining the majority of Scottish seats at Westminster a mandate for beginning negotiations with the UK Government to end the Union.
Talks would be carried out by a constitutional convention – including MPs, MSPs, trade unions and business and religious leaders – and would either attempt to secure a second referendum or Scottish independence.
Failing this, the party would fight the next Holyrood election in 2026 as a de facto referendum, per the model Sturgeon put forward last year.
An SNP spokesperson said: "The SNP has united behind the leadership’s independence strategy, following significant engagement that has shown our party at its very best.
"With the process question now answered, it's time to focus on substance and build support for our positive vision of independence.”
