The People's Referendum: Why Scotland Will Never Be the Same Again

by Peter Geoghegan

19 September 2014. The ballots are in, and the votes are counted. Scotland has either chosen to remain part of the United Kingdom, or to form a new independent state. The result is black and white, but the conversations, people and places that animated Scotland’s journey to the referendum have been anything but. For months Scots debated their futures, at varying volumes. For some the vote was a distraction, for others it was the most important moment in their lives. All have had a chance to have their say. This book is the story of Scotland’s referendum, not as recorded by psephologists, but as experienced by some of the ordinary – and extraordinary – people involved. Taking the scenic route around the vote we will meet ageing Communists rallying voters in post-industrial Cowdenbeath; loyal Orange men campaigning for a ‘yes’ vote’ and Irish republicans backing the union; North Sea oil workers trying to make sense of the debate; and secessionists across Europe trying desperately to follow Scotland’s lead. Full of character, and characters, this lively, in-depth book will provides a unique perspective on a referendum that has reshape Scotland – and Europe – regardless of the resulting 'No' vote.

Genres: Politics, Scotland

180 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2014

About the author

Peter Geoghegan is an Irish writer, broadcaster and investigations editor at the award-winning news website openDemocracy. He led openDemocracy's investigations into dark money in British politics that were nominated for a 2019 British Journalism award and the Paul Foot award. His journalism has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the London Review of Books and many other publications. His book, The People's Referendum: Why Scotland Will Never Be the Same Again, was nominated for the Saltire First Book Award.