I think enough of the left-wing posters on this forum could rise above it, but there's also a heuristic association between Scottish unionism/the UK and Boris Johnson, Brexit and Trump which the SNP oppose. It makes sense that independence from a country led by Boris Johnson outside the EU would be a liberal cause. There were very few prominent right-wing arguments or political voices in favour of independence during the referendum and within Scotland, so it follows that Scottish Independence might be seen in the media as primarily a left of centre cause (which it was/is in the eyes of quite a few Scots), though the social justice element to that stems much more strongly from Scotland's economic position within the UK, which the pro-independence side claim is down to 'being ruled by Westminster.'
Scottish nationalism has always struck me as having a similar emotional appeal as Brexit; the former as regards Scotland and the latter Britain. I'd like to see some estimates, but I doubt there are many pro-independence Brexiteers; which makes little sense since it seems to me that many of the arguments for No could be applied for Remain, albeit with stronger force for No.
It makes little sense, for example, to view it simply as a reaction to Tory central governments; after all, the movement didn't (I think) flourish under Thatcherism; rather under the Labour governments of the 2000s which Scotland voted for. I could go into detail about what I think might be some longer-term causes if you like.
The thing about the 80s was that nationalist sentiment absolutely did flourish, it was just that the Scottish Labour Party was able to transform itself into a vessel for it. Not to the same extent as the SNP obviously, but certainly one that stressed Scotland’s supposed distinctiveness and supposed need for self-government, which helped it fend off the nationalist threat. Then they were the opposition to the government (primarily lead by English politicians) that had presided over an painful period of deindustrialisation for Scotland. By the end of the Blair era they’d been in power at Westminster and Holyrood for years and could no longer present themselves as a credible, nationalist-lite force of opposition, which left them vulnerable to being outflanked by a party that could present itself as more distinctly radical and Scottish (with those two things being one and the same in the minds of many Scottish and indeed English people).
Poll
