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Scottish independence The yes generation, 10 years after vote
The Guardian
|September 18, 2024
Steven Campbell was 17 and still a high school pupil during the Scottish independence referendum campaign of 2014.
"It didn't matter what clique you were in, everybody was talking about the referendum and everyone had an opinion," Campbell recalls. "For the first time young people were included in the conversation and the choice was about the rest of our lives."
Now a student nurse and chair of Young Scots for Independence, the youth branch of the SNP, Campbell is reflective: "2014 captured a generation but then it felt like not just the SNP but the entire political system in Scotland and UK-wide failed to capitalise on that."
The independence referendum wasn't just a seismic event for Scotland, it marked a historic moment for young voters - the first time that the franchise had been extended to 16- and 17-year-olds in the UK - and subsequent polling showed they were more likely to vote yes to independence.
This story is from the September 18, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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