Scotland in Union

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scotland in Union (SIU)
Scotland in Union logo.png
NicknameSIU
TypePro UK campaign/pressure group
HeadquartersGlasgow
Location
  • 272 Bath Street
Membership
36,000 (2021)[1]
CEO
Pamela Nash
Websitescotlandinunion.co.uk

Scotland in Union (SIU) is a Scottish unionist campaign, which launched in March 2015 to help keep Scotland within the United Kingdom. Its supporters include prominent unionists, both members of pro-UK political parties and people with no party affiliation. It is Scotland's largest and most active unionist campaign group, with 36,000 signed up supporters.[1]

History[]

Scotland in Union launched in March 2015, with the aim of promoting Scotland's place in the UK. The group was created in the wake of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, in which 55 per cent of the electorate voted against the proposal that Scotland should become an independent country.[2] Initially, the organisation was led by its founder Alastair Cameron, a former Army captain.[2] In January 2017, Scottish Labour's former Justice spokesperson Graeme Pearson was announced as Chief Executive.[3] In August 2017, former Labour MP Pamela Nash took over the role.[4]

Campaigns[]

Scotland in Union (SIU) has campaigned via activities such as leafleting and street stalls, online presence, polling, and use of conventional media.[5][6] Its first campaign was to encourage tactical voting against the Scottish National Party during the 2015 UK general election.[7] It repeated this tactic in the 2019 UK general election, offering a guide suggesting which party unionists should vote for in their constituency if their priority was to stop the SNP,[8] and the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.[9]

SIU has paid for opinion polling on Scottish independence on several occasions, with a particular focus on the question of whether people think Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom or leave the United Kingdom.[10][11] The use of this format has been criticised by SNP depute leader Keith Brown, who said in 2019 that it was "a deliberate bid to confuse independence with Brexit".[12]; in 2021 three political academics carried out a study which demonstrated a statistically significant difference between this wording and the 2014 question formulation.[13] The most recent of these polls at the time of writing, in November 2021, showed that 54% of Scots would vote to remain part of the UK, with 38% saying Scotland should leave and 8% undecided. [14]

To coincide with the annual publication of the latest official Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland figures, known as GERS, SIU introduced a new method to break down the 'UK dividend' from which Scotland benefits,[15] for local communities across Scotland.[16] In addition, SIU's Chief Executive, Pamela Nash, wrote an article in the Scotsman to highlight the benefits to Scottish public spending which come from sharing across the UK.[17]

Events[]

Scotland in Union has held local political and social events across Scotland. At events across the country they have been joined and supported by politicians from across the main pro-UK parties including Ruth Davidson, Anas Sarwar, Christine Jardine,[18] David Mundell,[19] Andrew Bowie, Mike Rumbles,[20], Martin Whitfield, Beatrice Wishart, Jackie Baillie ,[21] Murdo Fraser, Alistair Carmichael, Johann Lamont,[22] Ian Murray, Alex Cole-Hamilton[23] and Willie Rennie.[24]

Data theft[]

In December 2017, Scotland in Union reported to the police and to the Information Commissioner that they had suffered a data theft.[25] Subsequent to this incident, the Electoral Commission carried out an investigation of SIU's donations. Following the investigation, the Electoral Commission said it was “satisfied” that Scotland in Union had complied with its requirements.[26]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "'Don't want another referendum' Indy reality turns tide in favour of Unionists, says ex-MP". www.express.co.uk.
  2. ^ a b Johnson, Simon (March 6, 2015). "Unionists can hold back the SNP 'if they act together'" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Ex-Labour MSP takes on Scotland In Union role". HeraldScotland.
  4. ^ "Pamela Nash to lead pro-UK Scotland in the Union campaign group". www.scotsman.com.
  5. ^ "Scottish independence rally planned outside SNP conference". The I.
  6. ^ "'Referendumb' billboard unveiled by their activists as the SNP gathered for their party conference in Aberdeen". Daily Record.
  7. ^ reporter, Libby Brooks Scotland (March 5, 2015). "Scottish tactical voting campaigns launch over SNP landslide fears" – via www.theguardian.com.
  8. ^ "pro union tactical voting guide launched to thwart snp 5053534". The Scotsman.
  9. ^ "Tactical Voting Guide 2021". Scotland in Union.
  10. ^ "Scottish Independence: Poll - majority of Scots will vote "remain in the UK"". Scotsman.
  11. ^ Macnab, Scott (September 2019). "Scottish Independence: Poll - majority of Scots will vote "remain in the UK"". The Scotsman. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  12. ^ Schofield, Kevin (18 September 2019). "Majority of Scots would vote to 'remain in the UK', according to new poll". Politics Home. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Would the Scots vote for independence? The answer could depend on the question". LSE blogs.
  14. ^ "If there was a referendum tomorrow with the question Should Scotland remain in the United Kingdom or leave the United Kingdom?, how would you vote?". What Scotland Thinks.
  15. ^ "UK dividend of £1,941 for every person in Scotland". GOV.UK.
  16. ^ "UK Dividend". Scotland in Union.
  17. ^ "Latest GERS figures will show simple truth". The Scotsman.
  18. ^ "Scotland in Union's Glasgow Burns Supper 2020". Scotland in Union.
  19. ^ "Scotland in Union's London Burns Supper 2020". ScotlandinUnion.
  20. ^ "Scotland in Union's Westhill Meeting". ScotlandinUnion.
  21. ^ "Helensburgh Scotland in Union". ScotlandinUnion.
  22. ^ "burns night". ScotlandinUnion.
  23. ^ "burns supper 2019". ScotlandinUnion.
  24. ^ "Scotland in Union Twitter". Twitter.
  25. ^ "Police probe security breach at Scotland in Union campaign". HeraldScotland.
  26. ^ "Unionist campaign cleared after probe into donations". HeraldScotland.
Retrieved from ""