Scotland Seeks to Restore Harmony After Independence Vote Divides Nation
Tension Flares in Glasgow a Day After Referendum
Sept. 21, 2014 9:28 a.m. ET
Police stand guard as Scottish independence supporters
clash with pro-union campaigners at a Friday reconciliation rally in
Glasgow, a day after the referendum.
Zuma Press
GLASGOW, Scotland—Though Scotland has settled its independence referendum by choosing to stay in the U.K., rifts created in the fiercely contested vote remain.
"The
Scottish people got it wrong," said
Susie McIntyre,
a 40-year-old stay-at-home mother in central Edinburgh over the
weekend, who was one of the 45% of voters who had cast a ballot for
independence. "The people who voted for the union—they should've taken
the bull by the horns and stood up for what they truly believed."
Senior
politicians and other public figures are now waging a campaign to mend
such divisions and soothe resentment toward the British government.
Former Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
of the opposition Labour Party sought to smooth over tensions in a
speech in the Scottish town of Dunfermline on Saturday, urging his
fellow Scots to throw away their "yes" posters for independence or "no"
posters against it. In the streets of Edinburgh, many of the blue
posters still hang in windows.
Consign these to the history books," he
said. "No longer think of yourselves as 'Yes Scots' and 'No Scots,' but
all of us Scots."
A reconciliation rally
in Glasgow on Friday suggested that could take some time. As
separatists and unionists gathered in the city's George Square for the
event, the mood was somber, despite efforts by a musician and a handful
of speakers to liven the crowd.
Within
hours, it had soured. Shouting between groups of people in the rival
camps erupted and a flare was set off, prompting police to intervene in
what authorities described as "ugly scenes." Authorities said they
arrested 11 people on a number of public-disorder offenses, including
vandalism, though no one was injured.
The
U.K. government's most senior minister in Scotland,
Alistair Carmichael,
acknowledged that the campaigns leading up to the vote had
fractured relationships and had some ugly moments—such as the online
vilification of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, a prominent supporter
of the pro-union camp.
Speaking to
reporters on Friday, Mr. Carmichael told Scots on both sides to put the
referendum and its occasional tensions behind them. "We have to
acknowledge these moments and park them. We can't burnish our grievances
in the way that Scots sometimes have a tendency to do."
Political recriminations have begun, too. Scottish National Party leader
Alex Salmond,
who announced his resignation
on Friday, told the British Broadcasting Corp.'s Sunday Politics
program that the U.K. government had tricked "no" voters into rejecting
independence with its last-gasp offer of greater powers for Scotland.
The
SNP, which had led the pro-independence charge, criticized politicians
in the U.K. Parliament at Westminster on Saturday for failing to deliver
on its promise to start the process of transferring more powers to Scotland the day after the Thursday referendum. British Prime Minister
David Cameron,
as part of efforts to woo voters, had in the final days of the referendum campaign promised give Scotland more say over tax and spending.
A
spokeswoman for Mr. Cameron said Sunday that the government would move
forward with those commitments. Mr. Cameron has set a November deadline
for agreeing on new powers over tax, spending and welfare and said he
wants legislation to be drafted by January.
Even
Queen Elizabeth II,
who typically remains quiet on political matters, took the unusual step of intervening.
In
a statement issued by Buckingham Palace on Friday, she said she
recognized the results had led to conflicting emotions among family and
friends. But she urged people to settle their differences.
"I
have no doubt that Scots, like others throughout the United Kingdom,
are able to express strongly held opinions before coming together again
in a spirit of mutual respect and support, to work constructively for
the future of Scotland and indeed all parts of this country," she said.
On
Sunday, Edinburgh's St. Giles' Cathedral hosted a special
reconciliation service focusing on the common purpose in Scottish
society.
Matthew Flinders, a politics
professor at the University of Sheffield, said it might take time for
Scottish nationalists to come to terms with the result. But, he added,
he didn't expect it to see any "long-term fissures" between those who
voted "yes" and those who voted "no."
Stephen
Boswell, a 51-year-old chef from Dunoon, Scotland, said he was
heartbroken that Scotland chose to stay in the U.K. but added that he
wanted society to move forward. "We came up here today for unity," Mr.
Boswell said, speaking at the Friday rally in Glasgow, Scotland's most
populous city. "We want to bring people back together again."
But
Paul Docherty, a 33-year-old musician in Edinburgh, said he was
devastated that Scotland had rejected independence and that it would
take time for resentment within society to fade. He said he had little
hope that the U.K. government would follow through with its promise to
give more power to Scotland.
Another
pro-independence supporter, Roddy McNairn, a 47-year-old chef from Loch
Lomond, stood at the Glasgow reconciliation rally with a Scottish flag
draped around his shoulders. "We're a bit deflated," he said. "But, get
united, get stronger, and get on with it."
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