<br />SWINNEY: TIME FOR REAWAKENING OF OPTIMISM AND HOPE TO SECURE INDEPENDENCE <br /> <br />SNP LEADER: “REFERENDUM HAS LEFT POSITIVE LEGACY ON SCOTLAND” <br /> <br />Addressing independence campaigners in Edinburgh this morning (18th September) on the 10-year anniversary of the 2014 referendum, First Minister and SNP Leader John Swinney is expected to say: <br /> <br />“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.<br /> <br />“As parliament returned I spoke to many leading figures in the No campaign.<br /> <br />“They were gracious, and they were understanding, that lifelong independence campaigners like me were truly hurting at that moment.<br /> <br />“But when I think about those days after of the referendum, I tell you what else I remember.<br /> <br />“It was how quickly people in the Yes campaign picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and looked to the future with a renewed determination.<br /> <br />“Many of the grassroots campaign groups didn’t melt away. They stuck together, and they continued working in - and for - their communities.<br /> <br />“New friendships had been forged, and a new sense of possibility planted in the minds of thousands of people.<br /> <br />“That sense of empowerment resonates to this day.<br /> <br />“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.<br /> <br />“And we – the Scottish National Party – should be incredibly proud that, together, we made that happen.<br /> <br />He will add: <br /> <br />“We have had a long, dark decade – a decade of austerity, of Brexit, of a cost of living crisis and a global pandemic.<br /> <br />“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.<br /> <br />“It starts by reawakening the sense of optimism, of hope and of possibility that was so prevalent throughout Scotland in 2014.<br /> <br />“We must lead by example, and we will.” <br />
