Catch-2014: Why 'Yes' lost the referendum and why, if we're not careful, we might end up doing it again

by Jack Foster

Jack Foster combines modern political history with indignant polemic in this impassioned account of the failed 2014 Scottish independence referendum. In an attempt to understand the reasons for that defeat, Catch-2014 takes on some uncomfortable truths and attempts to slay a few sacred cows in the process.

From media manipulation to corporate intervention, party politics to poor strategy, Foster examines the failures at the very heart of Yes Scotland, as well as how the Unionists managed successfully – against all the odds – to capture the campaign narrative.

How does psychology explain our natural aversion to change? Our instinct is to reject information which conflicts with our existing world view; how, therefore, can Scotland overcome this to ensure its future as an independent country?

This is not a book to make you feel warm and fuzzy about the glory days of Scotland’s independence movement. There is much to be proud of, but this book tries to understand where we went wrong, and how we can ensure it doesn’t happen again.

140 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2018

About the author

Jack Foster spent 35 years working in the creative departments of major advertising agencies; the first ten as a writer, the last 25 as a creative director. He won dozens of advertising awards, including being named "Creative Person of the Year" by the Los Angeles Creative Club.