Friends,
Thank you all for joining me here in Edinburgh today
We are here to reflect on a moment of tremendous significance in Scotland’s recent past.
But more importantly, we are here to demonstrate our commitment to Scotland’s future.
Ten years ago – at this very moment – most of us can remember exactly what we were doing.
On 18th September 2014, Scotland was truly buzzing.
Thousands of people around the country were manning polling stations, street stalls and telephones.
Hundreds of campaign groups – large and small – were making a last push for support.
Journalists and broadcasters from every corner of the globe had descended on Scotland.
The world was watching us – waiting to see if they were about to witness the birth of the world’s newest independent country.
But of course, no matter the outcome, we all knew that we were witnessing something hugely significant.
That’s because, in this corner of our planet, a debate about constitutional change was being conducted peacefully and democratically,
with both sides committed to respecting the result.
In a world all-too-often scarred by acrimony and conflict – we must not lose sight of the positive example Scotland set for people across the globe.
The referendum was, of course, the climax of a landmark year.
The Equal Marriage Act. The Commonwealth Games. The Ryder Cup. The Year of Homecoming.
In 2014, the sense of change, of possibility, and of optimism in the air was so strong that you could almost taste it.
We were celebrating the best of what Scotland can offer.
And as we did so, we were having a very lively debate about our future.
Now the referendum was of course only made possible because of an SNP election victory.
But what made the campaign truly special was the energy, the passion and the commitment of the tens of thousands of ordinary Scots that got involved.
The overwhelming majority on both sides did so positively and respectfully, with a genuine desire to improve our country.
As polling day approached, you could barely walk ten yards without spotting a window poster.
Or stumbling across a street stall or a campaign rally.
Or eavesdropping on folk at the bus stop or in the queue at the post office having in-depth philosophical discussions about economic or defence policy.
There were poems, there were stories and there were songs.
There were short films and there were long conversations.
There were packed debates in the smallest town halls and the largest TV studios.
People were engaged about the future of our country.
Friends,
That is exactly how politics should be.
That is what an empowered nation looks like.
I remember well how I spent polling day.
It was the frantic dash from door to door to ensure everyone we needed to vote was going to do so.
But that frantic effort – so much the hallmark of polling days through the ages – didn’t really feel necessary that day.
People were coming out to vote in their droves. The turnout across Scotland spoke for itself.
85% of eligible voters took part.
No other vote in recent memory has come close to matching that.
For all of us who worked so hard for a Yes vote, the excitement of the campaign turned to heartbreak as the declarations started pouring in.
I remember seeing the boxes being opened in Perth and knowing, quite quickly, that we were not going to win at that count. But as the night wore on, it became clear we were not going to make it across Scotland.
I remember travelling to Edinburgh in the dead of night and not a word was shared in the car the whole journey.
As dawn broke, I was back in front of the camera talking about Scotland’s future.
As parliament returned. I spoke to many leading figures in the No campaign.
They were gracious, and they were understanding, that lifelong independence campaigners like me were truly hurting at that moment.
If the result had gone the other way, I know I would have shown them the courtesy that they extended to me.
But when I think about those days after of the referendum, I tell you what else I remember.
It was how quickly people in the Yes campaign picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and looked to the future with a renewed determination.
Many of the grassroots campaign groups didn’t melt away. They stuck together, and they continued working in – and for – their communities.
New friendships had been forged, and a new sense of possibility planted in the minds of thousands of people.
That sense of empowerment resonates to this day.
And that’s why, even though I was devastated by the result, I am in no doubt that Scotland’s independence referendum has left an overwhelmingly positive legacy on our country.
And we – the Scottish National Party – should be incredibly proud that, together, we made that happen.
Friends,
Ten years on, where stands Scotland today?
After the referendum, new powers came to our parliament – and new institutions – institutions needed in an independent country – were created.
What does that mean?
It means a Scottish Child Payment – helping to keep 100,000 children in Scotland out of poverty.
A social security system with fairness and compassion at its heart – a world away from the DWP’s often shameful assessment processes.
A more progressive income tax system – unlocking £1.5 billion extra investment in public services like our NHS.
A Scottish National Investment Bank, unlocking Scotland’s net zero future.
Scotrail taken into public hands.
16 and 17 year olds now have the right to vote in Scottish elections.
These are all positive legacies of Scotland’s referendum.
And friends,
The lesson is?
I will tell you.
Constitutional change delivers real change.
That’s Scotland’s legacy in the last ten years.
What is Westminster’s?
Well, we were promised that voting No would mean we stay in the EU.
Instead, we were forced to be a passenger on Boris’s Brexit bus.
We were promised that voting No would mean a partnership of equals.
But instead, our parliament has had its powers weakened and undermined.
We were promised that voting No would mean economic strength and stability.
Well, where do I even start with that one?
We may laugh, but it is no laughing matter.
Because our mortgages, our food prices and our energy bills – three specific costs that it was suggested would rise with Independence – are all more expensive as a result of Westminster decisions.
The contrast over the last ten years could not be clearer.
Decisions taken in Scotland – making Scotland fairer.
Decisions taken at Westminster – holding Scotland back.
And that is why Scotland must become an independent country.
But friends, much as we were all invigorated by the 2014 campaign we cannot live in the past.
Today we must look to the future.
We have had a long, dark decade – a decade of austerity, of Brexit, of a cost of living crisis and a global pandemic.
As a nation, we can’t just regret the things that we cannot do – it is time for us to start focusing again on the things that we can.
And that is exactly what we are going to do.
We want the people of Scotland to be bold and ambitious about our country’s future – and we must lead by example.
Yesterday, I announced the Scottish Government’s support for Glasgow to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026.
As you might expect, I made sure we looked at this proposal closely.
Money is tight, and like all big projects there are risks.
It will not be on the same scale as 2014 – and we don’t have nearly as long to prepare.
But friends, let’s remember why Glasgow has been asked to step in and rescue the games.
Scotland has a fantastic reputation for hosting international events.
And in Glasgow, we have a truly world-class city to do so.
That is what others around the world see when they look to our shores.
So perhaps it is time for us to see ourselves as others see us.
Friends, as we look towards 2026 and beyond, let us set our sights on the progressive, compassionate and ambitious country that we all want to see.
A Scotland of free education – where ability matters more than money.
A Scotland powered by our own renewable, green energy, where communities benefit from their own natural resources
A Scotland free of child poverty.
And a Scotland of Bairn, not Bombs – where Trident is consigned to the dustbin of history.
To make that a reality, we will build on the game-changing investments – like the Scottish Child Payment – we are delivering right now.
And we will make the case for all welfare decisions to be made in Scotland.
And, make no mistake, we will use those powers.
If Keir Starmer and Labour won’t abolish the two-child cap, give us the powers and the SNP will.
Scotland faces real choices as we face the future.
The SNP will build on our record of free education for all.
In contrast, Labour have introduced tuition fees everywhere else in the UK. Does anyone seriously believe they won’t do exactly the same here?
Friends,
For ten years – ten long years – Labour told us we don’t need independence. All we need to do is get rid of the Tories.
Well, it’s taken Keir Starmer less than ten weeks to completely demolish that argument.
Labour promised no more austerity – but instead they’re going to intensify it.
Labour promised to protect pensioners – but instead they’ve robbed them of their Winter Fuel Payment.
And they promised everyone they would cut their energy bills. Instead they are set to rise by an average of £150.
The problem for Scotland is not a just an incredibly damaging Westminster Tory Government.
We now have an incredibly damaging Westminster Labour Government.
There is a pattern here.
The problem for Scotland is government from Westminster.
The SNP’s job is to get on with setting out the better alternative.
People in Scotland want to be empowered and inspired.
It is up to us to do that.
During 2014, the Yes vote soared because people were out there talking to each other about what our future could look like.
Today, in 2024, we must reawaken that sense of hope, of optimism and of possibility that was so prevalent ten years ago.
It’s time for us to talk to each other again.
And when I say each other – I mean everyone in Scotland.
Let us lift heads and look towards the horizon and a better Scotland.
All around us there are independent countries just like Scotland who are more successful than the UK.
Ireland – talking about extending their winter fuel payment – not cutting it.
Iceland – one of the lowest poverty rates in the developed world.
Norway – providing parents with far more generous parental leave than in the UK.
I could go on and on.
We must stop asking why it is that countries around us are all so successful
And instead ask a simple question
Why not decide for ourselves on the kind of country we want to live in?
Why suffer the insult and the injury of Brexit?
Instead we could be sitting at the top table in Brussels as an independent nation.
Why suffer the economic damage of a hostile immigration policy?
Instead we can welcome the people that we need to grow our economy, to sustain our public services and to enrich our society.
Why suffer the damage of living under a failed Westminster economic model?
Instead, we can build a new economy, with solidarity and sustainability at its heart.
Why suffer fuel poverty in a land of fuel plenty?
Instead we can harness the abundance all around us to deliver a cleaner future and a green industrial revolution.
For everyone in Scotland.
Friends,
When you think about each of these decisions, you’re left in no doubt that we here in Scotland could be taking better decisions than Westminster.
Our job is to make independence relevant to the everyday concerns of every citizen in Scotland.
That the powers of independence can help us grow our economy in a way that works for everyone.
To make our public services the best they can be
And give the next generation the best possible start in life.
That is the future I want for our country.
I committed to proving that independence is the solution to the immediate concerns of people in Scotland – on the NHS, schools, the cost of living, on energy prices
That’s the way SNP campaigning will persuade more people in Scotland of the merits of Independence.
That is how we will win Scotland’s independence.
Friends, when we leave here today, let us do so remembering what brought us all together in the first place.
It was that sense of empowerment and excitement about our future.
On September 18th 2014, we glimpsed what it was like to hold our destiny in our own hands.
Countries that are independent have that opportunity every single day.
Every single day is a day of possibility.
So ten years on from the referendum, let us today make a promise to ourselves.
If I may, let us make a ‘vow’.
A vow that whatever else happens, we will face the future together with hope and with optimism.
Let us talk ourselves up – and never allow ourselves to be talked down.
Let us pass on that sense of hope to our fellow Scots through the hands of solidarity and friendship.
Let us inspire them with a vision of what is possible.
Let us build up the confidence and the belief of our nation.
And let us invite them to join us on the journey to a better future.
A future which is ours to decide.
And a success which is ours to share.
