Historian and author Sir Tom Devine backs independence

LEADING historian Sir Tom Devine has revealed he will be voting Yes in the independence referendum.

The author of dozens of publications on Scottish history, Sir Tom is stepping down from his role as director of the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies at the University of Edinburgh this summer.

The 69-year-old said he had been a No voter at the outset of the campaign and favoured a “devo-max” arrangement with further powers devolved to Holyrood.

“This has been quite a long journey for me and I’ve only come to a Yes conclusion over the last fortnight,” he said.

“It is the Scots who have succeeded most in preserving the British idea of fairness and compassion in terms of state support and intervention. Ironically, it is England, since the 1980s, which has embarked on a separate journey.”

Sir Tom received a knighthood in the most recent honours list for “services to the study of Scottish history”. JOURNEY: Sir Tom Devine is now in support of the Yes campaign.

He said: “The union of England and Scotland was not a marriage based on love. It was a marriage of convenience. It was pragmatic. From the 1750s down to the 1980s there was stability in the relationship. Now, all the primary foundations of that stability have gone or been massively diluted.”

First Minister Alex Salmond welcomed Sir Tom’s decision.He said: “His backing for a Yes vote is very welcome, and the case he makes for an independent Scotland, including his vision of a strong and flowering economy, is deeply compelling and persuasive.”

A Better Together spokesman said: “Everybody is entitled to their view in the referendum, but the majority of Scots are saying ‘no thanks’ to separation. “As part of the UK we can have the best of both worlds for Scotland. We can have what the majority of Scots want, without taking on all the risks. That means more powers for Scotland guaranteed, backed up by the strength, security and stability of being part of the larger UK. Only independence puts that at risk.”

It came as Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop rejected Alexander McCall Smith’s view that it is sad that Scotland has become a “divided nation”.

The best selling Scottish author told the Edinburgh International Book Festival last week that “it’s a sad situation that Scotland has become so divided”.

But Ms Hyslop said she did not think the ongoing and robust independence referendum debate was something to regret.