A Yes vote is an opportunity to make Scotland’s vast wealth work better for everybody who lives here said Blair Jenkins, Chief Executive of Yes Scotland.
‘As individuals, as families and as a nation, Yes is a chance to create a more prosperous country using our vast wealth to the benefit of all,’ he said.
Speaking on the day marking one year to go until next September’s historic independence referendum, Mr Jenkins said: -‘Both sides in the debate agree that Scotland has got what it takes to be a successful, independent country. Even the Prime Minister and the UK Treasury acknowledges that.
‘We are one of the wealthiest nations on Earth. The key question is about how we use those vast resources. A Yes vote offers the best chance to not only create a more prosperous country, but a fairer one too.
‘We have no doubt that people will be better off after a Yes vote. There is also a growing realisation that with independence we have a chance to build a country in which everybody benefits and in which everybody has a valuable and valued part to play.”
With precisely 365 days to go until the referendum, Mr Jenkins said it was clear that momentum was very much with the Yes campaign. The two most recent opinion polls had revealed potential Yes votes of 45% and 47%.
He claimed:- ‘At this stage of the campaign, those figures are very encouraging and show clearly that more and more people are either moving to Yes or are beginning to think about Yes.
‘When people consider the consequences of a No vote, support for Yes increases. These polls accurately reflect what we are finding ourselves in our on the doorsteps and in our communities.
‘Increasing numbers of people are starting to realise next year’s referendum is about two choices. One is sticking with a Westminster system that isn’t working for Scotland and has led to the UK becoming one of the most unequal countries in the developed world. The other is an opportunity to make decisions that match our own priorities and aspirations and to build a fairer and more prosperous country. Only a Yes vote can deliver that opportunity.’
Mr Jenkins added:- ‘There is no doubt that Scotland’s got what it takes. Scotland has generated more tax per head than the UK as whole in each and every on of the last 30 years.
‘The question is why more people in Scotland are not reaping the benefits of our wealth? With a Yes vote next year we can deliver financial and social gains for people and families across our nation because Scotland’s future will be in Scotland’s hands.’
He said research had shown that the more people learned about independence the more likely they were to vote Yes. Among those who believed they were already well informed, Yes and No were running neck-and-neck,
Mr Jenkins said:- ‘We have greater reach than the No campaign, with our social media activity engaging substantially more people. We have more than 200 active local and sectoral groups and an average of 70 local campaign events taking place every week.
‘Our campaign is designed to win through direct conversations, with our enthused, informed and engaged volunteers having conversations with people in their social circles. In this way we can move people up the support scale. Again, our research tells us that “undecideds” are more inclined towards Yes than No by a ratio of 2:1.’
Further, the group that is most likely to say Yes is families with children – the group with a clear eye on what will be the best future for their youngsters.
And more undecided women and young Scots are moving to Yes than to No.
Jenkins explained:- ‘As we move ever closer to September 18 next year, more and more people are coming to realise that the referendum is about a choice of two futures – more failed Westminster policies, or a new start with Yes, allowing us to put in place policies designed to build on Scotland’s strengths so that everybody benefits from our prosperity.
‘We know we have a a lot of hard work to do over the next 12 months, but we are up for the challenge. I believe that, instinctively, the people of Scotland want a different direction of travel from the route being followed by an out-of-touch and remote Westminster with its austerity agenda and attacks on the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.
‘Policies such as the Bedroom Tax do not chime with our priorities and aspirations. Nor is it acceptable to most people in Scotland that the UK is the fourth most unequal country in the developed world. Westminster isn’t working for Scotland. And we know we can do better. That is why I am so confident that we can, and will, win.’
Mr Jenkins said that over the next 12 months, Yes Scotland would be doubling its efforts to provide all the quality information people needed to make the right choice next September.
He said: ‘We know that different people will come to this debate at different times and in different ways. We also know from our own research that the more people start thinking about Yes and the more they learn about independence the more likely they are to say Yes.
‘We have already built up a vast wealth of information both on and offline. But over the next 12 months our focus will be on maximising our online and face-to- face reach.
‘And we will continue to build what is already the biggest grass-roots campaign in Scotland’s history because it is local communities and on the doorsteps where this campaign will be won.’
Dennis Canavan, chairman of the Yes Scotland Advisory Board, said: ‘People are definitely moving to Yes, but the evidence indicates that there are still large numbers of undecided voters to be won over and part of our job is to convince those voters that voting Yes will help to shape a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.
‘The constitutional change we are proposing is not just an abstract idea. It is a means of bringing about the political, social and economic changes that most people in Scotland want. We must therefore make the campaign relevant to people’s needs.
‘At present, Scotland is being ruled by a UK Government we did not elect. The Coalition at Westminster is rewarding the rich with massive tax hand-outs and punishing the poor with massive welfare cuts, including the iniquitous bedroom tax.
‘People are crying out for change but Westminster offers very little prospect of the kind of change that the majority of Scots want to see.’
You can find out more about the YES campaign here on their website.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
