On the streets of Scotland, ‘yes’ is brash and optimistic, while ‘no’ bets on ‘the silent majority’
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Version 0 of 1. EDINBURGH, Scotland — In the final hours before Scots vote on whether to secede from Britain, polls show an incredibly tight race, with the unionists maintaining a slight edge. But anyone traveling around Scotland, as I have in recent days, would be forgiven for thinking that the pro-independence ‘yes’ campaign is poised to win in a landslide. ‘Yes’ signs are everywhere — in shop windows, on shirt lapels, atop Arthur’s Seat. The campaign’s activists are all over the streets, proudly waving the blue-and-white Scottish flag, the Saltire, which matches the colors of most pro-independence signs and buttons. ‘Yes’ supporters are boisterous, energized and optimistic about victory. The unionist side, by contrast, can feel nearly invisible. Outside of planned ‘no’ events and an imaginative project to build a 350-ton rock pile, there’s often little evidence that a pro-Britain campaign exists. You rarely see the Union Jack, and the ‘no’ campaign — a joint venture involving three parties that normally work against one another, not together — never really agreed on a color scheme, so the few ‘no’ buttons you do see don’t make much of an impression. Even diehard ‘no’ voters sound almost apologetic about their stance, as if they’re sorry to spoil someone else’s well-planned party. This dynamic isn’t new — it’s how the campaign has been for months. ‘Yes’ is loud and proud. ‘No’ is understated, lacks flash and, at times, seems to lack organization. “We feel like we’re the ‘away’ team at a football match,” one unionist activist recently confided. The ‘yes’ side’s brashness is intimidating, he said, and ‘no’ supporters are afraid to speak out. That’s a tough way to feel in one’s own country, when the future identity of the nation is at stake. But, the activist said, he takes heart in the small things: the furtive nod from a passing motorist who notices his green-and-purple ‘no’ buttons. Or the shop windows that may not display a ‘no’ banner but don’t display a ‘yes’ banner, either. “We’re betting on the empty windows,” he said. You hear the phrase “silent majority” a lot when talking with those who support preserving Scotland’s 300-year-old identity as a part of the United Kingdom. But is it still the majority? Until recent years, Scottish independence was a fringe concept — even in Scotland. Until recent weeks, the polls showed the ‘yes’ side trailing well behind. All through the spring and summer, whenever I asked anyone in London about Scotland, the answer was the same: The Scots may dabble at independence, but they’ll never actually go for it. In Scotland, it was a different answer, even among ‘no’ backers: This referendum is going to be close. A poll released more than a week ago that showed the ‘yes’ side ahead had a jolting effect south of the border, waking England up to the reality that a third of the country really could walk away. Panic ensued. But there’s no panic here in Scotland. Every time I’ve come north from London this year, I’ve been impressed with the seriousness with which Scots are considering their choice and the civility with which they’ve conducted the debate. With a few exceptions, it’s been a model of how people can resolve profound differences through peaceful and democratic means. Voters are well-informed and focused on choosing between two competing visions of the future, rather than dwelling on past grievances. The fanfare of the campaign is fascinating to watch. But when the time comes to vote, I’m not sure how much it will matter. As the queen suggested, the Scots are “thinking carefully” about their future, which should serve them well, whatever they choose. |