People power is the winner in the Scottish independence referendum

Date: 19 September 2014

The exceptional level of grassroots engagement and energy, and the huge turnout at the polls yesterday, is an all-too-rare example of people realising their power.  This is something to be celebrated and held on to.

Scotland has voted, the media coverage is in full flow and there’s a torrent of comments and blogs.  As so many, including myself, have already noted, the level of engagement and energy in the Scottish referendum campaign was exceptional, and of course the turn out to vote was phenomenal. And during the debate, the public call for a society based on social justice and equality seems never to have been stronger. 

This has been an all-too-rare, but immensely heartening example of people realising their power.

This is something to be celebrated and held on to. With this kind of energy and realisation of people power, we can more strongly and confidently challenge the structures and policies that favour the political elites, the markets and big business and that undermine social justice – here in Scotland and around the world.

We can stand up to the very real threat to democracy and public services from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, to the power of the financial sector, and we can demand that resources and decisions about how they’re used lie in the hands of the many, not the few.

We can look ahead to the general election and feel more confident than ever in our right to demand that the policies in the manifestos of Scottish political parties reflect what such a large proportion of its population wants: a fairer, more equal society.

However you voted yesterday, if you’d like to stay active in campaigning for social justice in Scotland, and around the world, then we’ll be holding ‘Global justice in a new Scotland: an open space discussion’ on October 5.

Top photo: No TTIP demonstration in Edinburgh this summer. Photo: Ric Lander