Dundee independence activists who campaigned for a Yes vote 10 years ago admit there’s lots of anger as John Swinney prepares to face SNP supporters this weekend with no route to another referendum.
The first minister has a tough task uniting his party at its annual conference as some grassroots campaigners in Scotland’s “Yes City” warn they are fed up and say the leadership is “weak as water”.
‘People are scunnered’
Retired Dundee teacher Heather McLean, 68, helped organise campaign events in the city during the referendum and devoted years of her life to the cause.
But now she’s thoroughly disillusioned.
“I’m nae William Wallace,” she says. “I’m not going to die for the cause.”
She adds: “You have no idea in Dundee how scunnered people are with the SNP.”
Heather joined the Alba Party frustrated with SNP policies and the party’s inability to deliver a referendum.
“Nicola Sturgeon failed to act,” she says. “She missed the boat on several occasions.”
Heather stood for Alex Salmond’s new party in the 2021 Holyrood election but later became disillusioned and quit that too.
She says: “We’ve wasted years on this, but we’re no further forward. I gave up a lot to be part of the independence movement.
“I’ve just got fed up. Do I want to live the rest of my life pining for something that’s like unrequited love?”
‘It’s a matter of waiting’
Plenty of Dundee SNP supporters still keep the faith, even though polls are tightening and there is no obvious route to a referendum.
The city returned two nationalist MPs on July 4, despite Labour’s surge locally and across Scotland.
Jimmy Black, 65, a former Coldside councillor until 2017, told us: “There’s still a lot of enthusiasm.
“I’ve been out knocking on doors in Dundee recently. Very few people I’ve spoken to have turned away from independence.
“Clearly the fortunes of the SNP have taken a dip. But people are still backing independence. It’s a matter of waiting for the time to come.”
Mr Black is hoping to become a councillor again when he runs to replace former Dundee SNP leader John Alexander in an upcoming by-election.
‘Alive and well’
Jane Phillips, 68, a Yes activist from Broughty Ferry, joined the SNP one day after the 2014 referendum – and has no plans to give up.
She gets why some supporters are currently angry but believes independence is inevitable.
Jane told us: “If you take the idea of universal suffrage, in the late 19th century that was seen as a joke, and yet here we are.
“The same will happen with Scottish independence.
“Forty years ago, the idea of Scottish independence was a fringe hobby. Now it’s part of the political landscape.”
But she admitted: “It’s disappointing we’re not independent. On the ground a lot of people are very frustrated.
“Maybe we should have been more assertive after Brexit.”
‘It’s gut-wrenching’
Allan Petrie, 54, a full-time carer from Dundee, believes the independence movement is “as strong as ever”.
It’s just those running the show who are the problem.
“The political movement is as weak as water,” he says. “They have no bottle to take on Westminster.”
He reckons the SNP missed multiple opportunities.
“It’s been gut-wrenching,” he says. “We had the support of the people. Our political leaders went down and were asking for permission from Westminster.
“There’s a lot of anger among the people I campaigned with.”
The SNP’s attempts to secure a referendum were blocked by the UK Government and Supreme Court.
That left Mr Swinney’s party at a dead end.
Allan wants the movement to ignore Westminster if there is a clear majority for independence at an election – and go all the way to the United Nations.
Like his pal Heather, Allan joined the Alba Party but later left after growing disillusioned.
“There was too much control from HQ,” he says. “I want to see independent candidates for independence.”
If getting the SNP’s house in order is a tough task for Mr Swinney, uniting a fractured movement behind his party will be even more difficult.
The SNP conference runs from Friday to Sunday in Edinburgh.
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