There has been uncertainty over Scotland’s future ever since the signing of the Edinburgh Agreement in October 2012, when the Scottish Parliament was authorised to stage an In/Out Referendum.
The question ‘Should Scotland be an Independent Country’ was simple by design, and gave Scottish residents a very clear say about whether they wanted to remain a part of the United Kingdom, or go it alone as an independent nation.
With polls edging the two campaigns closer together over the final few weeks of the campaign, there were points where the ‘Yes’ vote exceed their opponents. However, when it came down to polling day on Thursday 18 September, Scotland decisively voted against Independence.
The final count revealed that 2,001,926 (55%) Scots voted ‘No’ compared to 1,617,989 (45%) in favour of the split, with a staggering 84.5% turnout (which will be pleasing for everybody).
What comes next is likely to be weeks and months of negotiations of further power for Scotland, and likely other parts of the United Kingdom.
We have asked experienced Public Affairs professionals in Scotland and Westminster for their reaction to the result, and suggest what it may mean for the future of the industry:
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After Scotland decided it was #BetterTogether, what next for the UK?
In Scotland, it will be interesting to see what the many referendum grassroots campaign groups and alliances do next. Having successfully engaged what proved to be a record-breaking turnout, including many young and first-time voters, the need will be to find a way to make the electorate part of the constitutional process and for traditional party politics to adapt to accommodate those who felt newly-enfranchised by the referendum - or risk losing them from Scottish politics."
Kenny Stewart |
"It will be essential not to interpret the final result as an endorsement for the present constitutional settlement; in the end, both campaigns ran on platforms for significant change. Indeed, with the Better Together parties promising 'faster' change, it will be extremely challenging to pull together a package which satisfies the offer of more powers to Scotland and accommodates the increasingly-heard demands of Wales, Northern Ireland and (particularly) the English regions with the 2015 General Election looming (the non-party regulated period for which starts today -
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How will the Result change the fabric of public affairs engagement in the UK?
So, take nothing for granted, find out where decisions are made, who decision makers are, who influences the decision maker, what is the process and is there a timeframe - build your strategy from there. There’ll be change ahead but we thrive on change. Bring it on!"
Emily Wallace |
"As the debate shifts from independence to devolution and from Scotland to England, the public affairs community will do what it does best, review revise and re-evaluate. For us devolution is not something new, it’s the norm, there has been sustained decentralisation of powers from central government since 1999, powers to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, London, local government, schools the NHS, PCCs, and local communities.
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How will the Referendum result change the public affairs industry in Scotland?
The role for us in the public affairs industry is to cut through the complexity of the known unknowns (Will we get devo max? What is devo max? How can we inform the content of any Bill?) and provide an analysis of the implications for our clients. For UK wide companies looking to understand how they will be impacted by further devolution, the need for Scottish-specific insight and intelligence just became fairly compelling."
Callum Chomczuk |
"Scotland has voted NO but the promises made during the referendum campaign will potentially reshape the entire UK constitution. We have the offer of more powers to the Scottish Parliament, we have pledges from the Lib Dems and Conservatives to re-examine the voting rights of Scottish MPs and calls from across the UK for further devolution.
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As a result of the Referendum, do you expect to see public affairs practitioners UK-wide have a more serious involvement in Scottish politics?
We expect public affairs practitioners in the UK who have not previously engaged in Scotland to want to know more about the opportunities and threats that process presents. There will be chances to influence not only what those powers could be but what the policy direction is, how they might be used and how that might benefit different sectors in the future.”
Graeme Downie |
“The referendum may be over but it is far from the end of the story. All parties will have to move immediately at Holyrood and Westminster to agree what powers to transfer to the Scottish Parliament and how this can be achieved quickly to prevent a repeat referendum in the short to medium term.
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Will London-based consultancies be changing their approach to Public Affairs work in Scotland as a result of the Referendum?
If Scotland had voted yes there would have been a boom for London consultancies from clients needing advice. As it is, it is going to be business as usual. Although Scotland is unique in many ways, the public affairs approach is the same. So I do not anticipate any change from the London based consultancies. There is a thriving public affairs industry in Scotland already and I am sure that will continue and go from strength to strength as the new constitutional settlement is debated and agreed."
Jo-ann Robertson |
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"Well all I can say is phew! It got a bit close at times but it is fantastic news that Scotland has voted to stay in the union.
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Has the Referendum campaign been a wake up call to Scotland based public affairs practitioners?
Now’s the time for PA people to demonstrate their value to their management or clients, but we’ll need depth within the UK as well as breadth across its political parties."
Alastair Ross |
"The referendum’s woken up PA professionals too focussed on Westminster. The PM’s speech is radical reform in constitutional, fiscal and economic terms, so those who only consider the Westminster level will no longer be seen as providing a full service. The result means they need to think hard about how they address Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – in person or through partnership with practitioners operating at Holyrood, Senedd and Stormont.