The latest statistics show that Scotland has seemingly handled than pandemic better than England, with the curve flattening quicker and cases dropping as the days pass in the most northern country in the United Kingdom.
Some may argue that this has to do with the separate approaches from Westminster and Holyrood, as, like most things, the pandemic has taken a political turn. This interested me and I questioned some students from Scotland to see if, and why, this could change their opinion on Scottish Independence from the Union. As we have all been cringing at our televisions through our fingers at the drastic difference between the cases and deaths over the border, it isn’t surprising that those asked had strong opinions however I was shocked at the variety of opinions I was met with.
As all students I asked were too young, they did not vote in the 2014 Independence Referendum so when I reference their support prior to the pandemic, it is simply what they would have voted had they been eligible to.
Em (18), a No supporter, said that their opinion had not been altered due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Union’s and Scotland’s separate responses. In fact, they stated that the response from Scotland has shown why we should remain in the United Kingdom. They said:
“Scotland does not have the money to support itself in normal circumstances let alone now. We would not have been able to fund the furlough scheme and our economy would have been a lot worse off than it is.”
Their opinion has been fuelled by the fact that Holyrood has requested a £1 billion loan from the UK government and its clear to see that, for some, they are not buying Nicola Sturgeon’s apparent organisation and better judgement.
“each year that passes amplifies her desire for an independent Scotland.”
“People say that Sturgeon has done a good job in this crisis, but my view is that she just waited to see what the UK government did and let them make their mistakes before she made her own decisions. She was too weak to be willing to make her own full decisions on how Scotland handles the pandemic.”
Despite these apparent flaws in Scotland’s response, not everyone was convinced. Sabrina (20) , who campaigned hard for the yes campaign, despite being unable to vote in 2014, claims that each year that passes amplifies her desire for an independent Scotland and 2020 has been no different.
Her views are that “the pandemic has highlighted yet again the difference of values between the UK government and the devolved administrations, focusing on Scotland and wales, while further cementing the party origins of individualism and their ‘profits before people’ attitude.
Despite a growing support for an independent Scotland and a second Indy Ref, she admits that an independent Scotland will not be in any form perfect.
“I don’t think independence will be a magic cure to the many social and political issues which exist in Scotland and I do hope for new left political parties to emerge with an independent Scotland, especially in the post-pandemic recovery. I think independence will be a massive and ultimately, vital step towards our goal as a welcoming country with equality at its forefront.”
It is fair to say that many Scots still feel strongly about their original beliefs on the topic of Indy Ref 2, and that in all different ways the pandemic had strengthened their already existing beliefs. However, for Molly (19), who was previously on the fence about independence, this was not the case.
“Molly noted the speed and the way in which Scotland handled issues during the pandemic”
She said: “The honesty and openness shown by the Scottish government and their well researched, no nonsense responses to the media have made me believe that independence would be an issue we as a country could tackle, instead of it being handled solely by politicians out of touch with the people.”
Not only has her support swapped from leaning towards No 10, to supporting Yes, she has also seen the flaws in the UK government and even described their handling of the pandemic as like “watching a slow train crash.”
Molly noted the speed and the way in which Scotland handled issues during the pandemic as a reason for independence gaining her support, and the UK’s dismissal of the difference in severity of coronavirus cases across the border as a reason from them losing it. She noted that she believes that the SNP are caring more about the people than the politics.
“Nicola Sturgeon’s refusal to make the pandemic a political issue has also been something I’ve admired as it shows she and the SNP are willing to work in the best interests of Scotland and not constantly angle for re-election, neglecting key issues in the process.”
Despite an apparent spike in supporters, there is no plans for there to be a second referendum on Scottish Independence.
Scotland has seen a slow down of confirmed coronavirus cases across the country however a spike has been reported due to an outbreak linking back to an Aberdeen pub, which as of August 7th boasts 101 positive cases.
Rachel Louise Gibson
Featured image courtesy of Christine McIntosh on Flickr.