The Dream Shall Never Die: 100 Days that Changed Scotland Forever

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Alex Salmond. The Dream Shall Never Die: 100 Days that Changed Scotland Forever

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Prologue

Introduction

The Run-Up

The 100 Days

Epilogue: The Scotland We Seek

Acknowledgements

Election Day

Introduction

Pre-Election Diary

Post-Election Diary

Scotland’s Future In Scotland’s Hands

Picture Section

About the Author

About the Publisher

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and my mum, who believed in me

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As the Party became increasingly capable of winning, then confidence grew in the likely success of my gradualist strategy. Despite this, by early 2012 I was perplexing some of my colleagues with my continuing support for a third question on the ballot paper. Even Michael Russell, the Education Secretary, who was the joint architect of my step-by-step approach towards independence, contributed powerfully to the discussion, suggesting that it was time to embrace a YES/NO referendum. After I heard them out around the Cabinet table I sprang a surprise by saying: ‘Fine, let’s do that. YES/NO it is then.’

I then confided to my colleagues that we should maintain our public pursuit of the third option, since it would put us in a strong position to negotiate the timing, the framing of the referendum question and votes for sixteen- to seventeen-year-olds – all crucial matters under the control of the Scottish Parliament. I knew that the UK government would concede much else in their anxiety to record a ‘victory’ in their red line.

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