The Dream Shall Never Die: The Sunday Times Bestselling Memoir about the Scottish Independence Campaign and Referendum

by Alex Salmond

The completely revised and updated paperback edition of Alex Salmond’s referendum dairy, which contains an exclusive new 45-day diary. In May 2015 the SNP changed the face of British politics when they swept to a historic victory in the general election, winning 56 of 59 Scottish seats. In a completely updated paperback edition of his bestselling referendum diary, former First Minster Alex Salmond writes exclusively about the final days of the election campaign and his dramatic return to the House of Commons as one of ‘The 56’ who have made an instant impact on Westminster politics.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Scotland, Memoir

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2015

About the author

Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond was a Scottish politician, economist and television host who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure in the Scottish nationalist movement, he was the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gordon and the SNP International Affairs and Europe spokesperson in the House of Commons, from 2015 to 2017. He then served as leader of the Alba Party from 2021 until his death in 2024.

Reviews

[Alasdair Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read a book as quickly as I've read this one, it's very unlike me to sit for a two hour stretch and read and read and read, only depositing my bookmark following a bleary eyed glance at the clock during which I both recognise and regret that if I don't go to bed then tomorrow will be a terrible terrible day.

The book is a fascinating insight into the day to day activities of the FM in the run up to the independence referendum, no doubt my interest was piqued since I could directly relate what I was reading with what I could remember. What was happening behind the scenes was particularly interesting, especially the conversations Salmond had with various individuals, both low and high profile, and from both YES and NO camps. Although, as you might expect conversations with avowed NO'ers were limited!

Well worth a read if you took an active interest in the referendum. Brought a lot of it back for me, painful as that was.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sagged a little during the chapters on the commonwealth games, but otherwise captures well the reasons why independence is inevitable and change, across the whole UK, is so necessary.

[James Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating record of the last 100 days of the 2014 Scottish Independence campaign. Salmond, the undoubted ‘big beast’ of Scottish politics, effortlessly conveys the rising sense of excitement as his campaign really picks up in the 14 days. There is a palpable sense that he is going to delivery a YES vote. A tear came to my eye when he recounted that one young YES voter asked him when she voted: “We are going to win, aren’t we?”. Alas, we did not. The defeat was Scotland’s loss, and Salmond’s recent death was a further loss. This book gives one a real sense of being in the hot seat with him, as he pushed toward polling day, enjoying the highs, dealing with the lows. It is a fine book. And, of course “The dream shall never die”.

[Daniel McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to read this after Sturgeon's book. Nowhere near as insightful or moving, but it is a different style of book as it's mainly in diary style. I think this highlights Salmond's often pompous and arrogant attitude, he has a significant sense of self importance and seems to enjoy focussing on a lot of the perks that came with having the spotlight on him during his time in politics and the run up to the election, rather than doing the job for the benefit of his country. There are moments where this isn't the case but they are few and far between.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel.
It is a fascinating account of the days leading up to the Independence Referendum in Scotland. 100 days written in a diary style by the First Minister Alex Salmond, giving insight to what was happening behind the scenes.
Mr Salmond tells it as it is and does not hold back on his relationship with the then Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Alex Salmond states that The Dream Will Never Die, and we will have our say again.

[Gregor Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a deeper reflection on his life, his insight from being at the epicentre of Scottish politics, and a condensing of knowledge from a life dedicated to Scottish independence, transmitted for the next generation of indy supporters.

Shame really that this is now not possible. But these were my expectations...

Salmond narrates (audiobook) well, keeping it engaging in a light-hearted diary-style approach, mainly set around the few months pre-referendum.

[Bert Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren’t many people who could write a book about what they did during a 100 day period and make it varied, interesting and compelling reading- yet, that’s what this book is. It’s a diary of snapshots of each of those 100 days with Alex Salmond in the lead role as First Minister of Scotland, not just as the leader of the Scottish National Party. That’s what makes it great reading for me because it gives me an idea of the kind of planned hours a prominent politician might have organised for him or her, but those hours in a day have to be flexibly organised to accommodate the crises or unplanned events which must be dealt with immediately in the form of impromptu phone calls, or visits, or time spent gaining information of the relevant subject matter. Another interesting part of the writing is the sheer volume of transport arrangements which needed to be made, and often remade during the 100 days because of weather conditions, or the need to divert to make talks elsewhere before arrival at the planned venues. In giving a snapshot of some of the events of each day it’s clear that each day was full of other happenings and of decisions which had to be made. If he had written a campaign diary for the SNP it would have been full of many of those other campaign trail bits he squeezed into one of those single 24 hour periods. As an SNP supporter for decades, I followed the SNP campaign trails on T.V. and on the internet and I know that a huge amount of walkabouts happened which don’t get a mention in this book. It is about the jam packed days of a driven and committed personality; it’s about the hope for the future of Scotland; and it’s about the massive surge in interest prior to any political event in Scotland.
The groundwork done during the referendum massively affected what happened at the following General Election… the dream shall never die.

[Simon Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most important political memoirs in modern history. Whatever your view, the Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014 had a significant impact on Scotland, the UK and British democracy.

Bookended with background and aspirations, the main section in the middle of the book chronicles the 100 days leading up to the in/out vote on September 18, 2014. Throughout, Salmond is frank about himself (“First television debate. I lost”) and brutal about his rivals – not least David Cameron, The Treasury, much of the press and especially the BBC. In most cases, when he goes a wee bit Malcolm Tucker, he tends to give only his side of the conversation. Gentlemanly, probably, but I want to know what Tony Hall said back.

His writing style is honest and witty. He is, sometimes, likeable; other times, he unrepentantly discloses some of his more underhand tactics. Throughout, he dips into Scottish patter, referring to his ‘Faither’, a ‘stooshie’ about Usain Bolt’s tweets and Being a Jambo.

What is surprising is how little Salmond had to do with the Yes campaign. He spent a lot of those final 100 days playing golf and organising the Commonwealth Games. While going about his duties as First Minister, we glean a little of an office that until now has never been greatly exposised.

There’s a disappointing lack of analysis from Salmond. Be it the debates, the Vow or results night, most events have a cursory few lines rather than a detailed reaction from the top dog. However, The Dream does offer us some insights into the Holyrood/Westminster tensions, post-Yes plans and Alex’s diet.

You may or may not like him, you may or may not agree with him, but Alex Salmond spearheaded a one-in-lifetime revolution in Scotland. That story in his own words is not to be missed.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exuberant gallop through the months leading up to the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, with some wry comments and interesting economic analysis. Surprisingly unbitter considering the dirty tricks unleashed by the establishment on the YES campaign. There are some amusing insights here, especially on David Cameron and his weaknesses (Alex Salmond says at one point that even Ted Heath in his dotage would have outclassed him). The cause was lost with the help of the traditional print press, who were overwhelmingly in the NO camp, the frantic antics of the Westminster elite, who put pressure on businesses and other world leaders to intervene, and by, it has to be said, a biased BBC (an academic study in the School of Journalism at Cardiff University recently came to this conclusion too). Although the vote was lost the campaign seems to have re energised Scotland, drawing more people into the democratic process, and it certainly hasn't meant that the question has gone away, especially as there seems to be more support for independence among younger voters, who are less likely to be interested in wild talk about Dunkirk spirit which seems to be the default position for some of the older ones (and, it seems, of David Cameron!) This book appeared before the UK general election of 2015, and whatever else he may have got right Alex Salmond didn't predict the outcome of that ...
Live to fight another day, anyway!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The indyref last year was both the most inspiring and the most heartbreaking political time of my adult life and it has reshaped Scotland, perhaps forever. This may not be the most well written account, but it captures the mood and the experiences that I and many others shared in those few months where we almost did it.

It still hurts a bit to think of that day in September, but reading this and remembering the mood of the country, the passion so many of us had for change is something I am grateful for.

I was never a massive Alex Salmond fan, but for all his faults, I think I know and appreciate him more because of this. He's clever, and shifty but I believe ultimately, he has the country's best interests at heart and I appreciate that.

I'm the target audience to a book like this though - from the foreword to the epilogue, it spoke to people like me. I don't know if others would have the same experience with it as I did, but for me, it was a very worthwhile read.

[FanOfWords · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex Salmond's recollection of the 100 days leading up to the historic referendum on whether Scotland should secede from the United Kingdom is something of a missed opportunity. Anyone reading the book will know that the plebiscite spearheaded by Salmond was defeated, albeit narrowly. Nonetheless, Salmond largely ignores the over two million people who voted against leaving the UK, choosing to depict them as fearful killjoys, cowering at the groundswell of support for independence, something not borne out by the facts. His book details local Scottish politics to the point of tedium, but brushes over moments such as former British Prime Minister and Lowlands native Gordon Brown's outstanding speech hours before the vote took place, which arguably swung the ballot in favour of the 'No' side. Accusations that Salmond's quest for an independent Scotland was something of an ego trip may be below the belt, but there is little here to dissuade such a view. Valuable, but far from definitive.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

What could have been a fascinating insight into the process of the Scottish Referendum from an insiders perspective, this book just reads as a daily diary of a primary school student.
No real in depth opinions on how it was run or what exactly went wrong for the SNP. No mud-slinging at the Tories (which although I wasn't expecting, it would have helped sell a few more copies). Nothing at all we didn't know from following the story unfold from our armchairs by watching the news as the referendum unfolded in later 2014.
This is a disappointing, P.C. cash in, half heartedly written and disappointingly recalled by Mr Salmond.

I will however patiently await a proper tell all of the situation in a few years when he, or someone else high up in the SNP are confident and comfortable enough to come clean about their opinions regarding the fight for independence.

[Michael Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought a lot about how I would vote in the Referendum, but I did not really enjoy this book. I was disappointed with it, though I did discover certain aspects of the campaign interesting that I had not heard about. I did finish the book but "quick" read the majority of it. I felt it could have been more balanced with some concessions to the better together campaign. The best part was in the final chapter when he gave a summary of the current position. I would not recommend it and the reasonably good opinion I had of Alex Salmond was slightly tarnished

[Lisa Hough-Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously as an snp member and yes voter I'm biased about the bent of this book. A great literary feat it is not, but I was gripped by the insight into the campaign, which I could recall vividly from my own experiences as I read. Salmond clearly finds himself hilarious, but I didn't find the tone off-putting. I concede others might.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insider's perspective form the man who led the YES campaign. A little self serving, as you'd expect, but given what was thrown at the YES campaign, he remains positive and focused throughout. The diary format works well.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book reads extremely well. It is clear that this book was adapted from Alex's diary. I read this book in a couple of sittings and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Kirsty Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

too much golf and royal chat

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whatever your political persuasion, this was a good book to read the insights of Alex Salmond.