Robertson: Why we failed to win the day

THE SNP failed to do enough to convince non-Scots and pensioners of the case for independence before last September’s vote, the party’s Westminster leader admitted yesterday.

Moray MP Angus Robertson’s explanation of why the Yes campaign could not win support from the majority of Scots was in stark contrast to Alex Salmond’s desperate attempts to blame the defeat that triggered his resignation on the BBC and the promise of further devolution.

And when asked if the Yes campaign would have won if it had been led by Nicola Sturgeon, Mr Robertson, who is not a close confidant of the former First Minister, replied simply: ‘Who knows?’

On September 18 last year, 3.52million Scots flocked to polling stations to reject separation by 55.3 per cent to 44.7 per cent, with the pro-UK campaign winning in 28 of the country’s 32 local authority areas.

Mr Robertson, who was the SNP’s campaign chief during the referendum, told a conference fringe event hosted by The Times newspaper that failure to overcome the fear factor of non-Scottish residents was one of the

main lessons to be drawn from the bruising contest.

He admitted that if another poll is called, these voters could prove crucial to ensuring a Nationalist victory.

‘I was repeatedly surprised by people I knew, service families from down south – my constituency has two large military bases – saying they were voting Yes,’ he said.

‘I would recognise now that a lot of people were being polite and were not persuaded.

‘Many people felt that they were going to lose something, and that is a very, very powerful impression to have to communicate one’s way through.’ Mr Robertson said it would be vital in the future to harness the ‘powers of younger voters to persuade grandparents and grandmothers that it was not just about an older generation but about future generations and voting for the future of the country’.

Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said last night: ‘The SNP can analyse and make excuses for their defeat, but the hard fact is they lost the referendum because most Scots wanted to stay within the UK.

‘This comment by Angus Robertson shows arrogance to voters of all age groups and nationalities who voted a resounding No last year.’