The mysterious vanishing of Yes Scotland: A power play by the SNP?

As we pass the tenth anniversary of the 2014 independence referendum, there’s been plenty of reflection on the successes and failures of the Yes movement. However, one detail that’s often overlooked – and that’s recently come under the spotlight again – is the rather abrupt and strange disappearance of Yes Scotland itself. An organisation that, for many, was the face of the campaign quite literally disappeared overnight after the No vote. Why? Well, it could just be simple post-referendum burnout. Alternatively, it might have been a calculated move by the SNP to centralise control and ensure no competition for the hearts, minds and wallets of Yes activists in the future.

In a recent post on Scot Goes Pop!, James Kelly shared an anecdote about the disbandment of Yes Scotland that still raises eyebrows to this day. Kelly was contacted by a BBC producer for a post-referendum appearance, who mentioned something peculiar: He couldn’t find anyone senior from the Yes campaign to interview because “the entire Yes Scotland organisation seemed to have already disappeared in a puff of smoke” – and this was mere hours after the results came in. The campaign’s dissolution, which at the time felt like the natural end of a temporary group, now feels much more consequential, as Kelly notes: “The significance of what he said didn’t really register with me at the time, but it’s arguably something we’ve been suffering from ever since.”

Indeed. The Yes movement has suffered from a lack of cohesion and strategic direction in the years since, and one might wonder whether this was entirely accidental.

One of the commenters on Kelly’s post delved even deeper, questioning why Yes Scotland vanished so quickly and speculating about its internal workings. Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, who held a senior role in the campaign, reportedly mentioned at a recent event that she still has her personal notes from Yes Scotland’s board meetings. And why does she still have them? Because the official records were deleted. Now, isn’t that odd? Why would a campaign of such historical significance, with countless meetings and decisions that shaped the future of Scotland, decide to scrub its records? Could it be a coincidence, or might it be more than just a clerical oversight?

It’s here that a more sinister interpretation begins to emerge. Could the SNP have been behind Yes Scotland’s rapid disbandment and erasure of records? After all, the SNP has been the primary driver of independence within the political system, and with a powerful grassroots campaign like Yes Scotland operating outside the party structure, they may have viewed it as a potential competitor rather than an asset after the result. Had Yes Scotland continued to exist, it might have drawn on the same resources – time, energy, and, crucially, money – that the SNP was keen to channel towards itself for the long haul.

The SNP’s dominance within the independence movement since 2014 has been almost absolute. No other group has come close to rivaling it in influence. But imagine for a moment if Yes Scotland had remained an active organisation – it could have provided an alternative hub for pro-independence activism, a counterweight to the SNP’s centralising tendencies. With its cross-party appeal and broad, inclusive messaging, Yes Scotland might have offered a home for those who support independence but feel less comfortable within the SNP’s orbit. Instead, once the official Yes campaign vanished, there was no immediate follow-up structure to harness the energy of the 1.6 million people who had voted Yes.

By ensuring the campaign disappeared quickly, along with its records, the SNP may have killed two birds with one stone: They avoided the rise of a rival independence organisation, and they also protected themselves from post-referendum scrutiny. There would be no deep dives into strategic decisions or disagreements within Yes Scotland, no questions about what could have been done differently, and, crucially, no competing vision of what the next steps should be. Everything about independence would be funnelled back into the SNP, where the party leadership could control the narrative – and the purse strings.

Now, to be fair, this is all speculation. There’s no hard evidence that the SNP ordered the rapid disbandment of Yes Scotland. But power and control are often tightly intertwined in political movements, and it’s not unreasonable to think that the SNP would have preferred to avoid sharing the limelight, especially in the uncertain aftermath of the referendum. They were the established political party, and keeping the independence movement tightly under their control would have been a logical – if ruthless – move.

So, where does that leave us now, ten years on? Well, it’s no secret that the independence movement has been fractious in recent years, with divisions over strategy, leadership, and timing. The SNP has been the central player, but it hasn’t always led with a clear or united vision, and alternative voices have been few and far between. Could the existence of an independent Yes Scotland, with its own organisational structure and history, have provided a stronger, more unified movement post-2014? It’s hard to say for sure, but it’s a tantalising possibility.

One thing is clear: the sudden vanishing of Yes Scotland is more than just an odd footnote in history. It might very well be one of the key reasons why the Yes movement has struggled to regain its momentum, and why so many activists feel like we’ve been spinning our wheels for years. If there was a deliberate decision to dismantle the campaign, we’re certainly paying the price for it now.

But let’s not end on a downer. The story of Yes Scotland, and its strange disappearance, serves as a reminder that the independence movement has always been bigger than any one organisation or political party. The spirit of 2014 lives on, and as we look to the future, there’s still time to learn from the past – to build something new, more resilient, and more democratic. After all, if we’re serious about independence, we need to make sure the movement is strong enough to outlast any one referendum, party, or campaign.

Maybe it’s time to resurrect a Yes Scotland of sorts – one that doesn’t suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke.