There's a new dividing line in Scottish politics to replace yes/no on independence

Most people want to be on the right side of history, which is why one of the most powerful forms of political rhetoric is the framing of a question as “forward not back”. For years, the SNP and the wider nationalist movement had political success in framing the break-up of the UK as a progressive proposition. The “Union” was the past; independence was the future.

How times change. As we pass the ten-year anniversary of the 2014 referendum in Scotland, the inevitability of independence has been shattered. All that remains is a lost decade in which every other important issue ignored by the nationalists now looms large. Independence is now yesterday’s debate.

Scottish politics is now more concerns with pressing practical matters than the constitutional question (Picture: Mark Runnacles) | Getty Images

The narrative of a lost decade in Scottish politics is a story that writes itself. As national media reflected on the anniversary this week, they also carried other stories.

Financial woes on the rise in Scottish colleges; children in poverty missing out on free school meals promised them by the SNP; council chiefs warning that a bad winter could mean the permanent closure of primary schools; the list goes on.

The figures on drugs deaths may tell the worst story of them all. Just weeks ago, it was confirmed that Scotland continues to be blighted by the highest level of drugs deaths in Europe, with 277 people per million lost to this scourge in 2023.

Scotland under the SNP

Meanwhile this week, Scotland’s public health minister Jenni Minto could only express “disappointment” at the soaring number of Scots who die as a result of alcohol abuse. An apology to the families affected? Some hope. Better luck next year.

Health, education, transport – take your pick – voters are impatient with the plaintive refrain that the growing mess that is Scotland under the SNP will all be magically fixed if we just campaign one more time for independence. The people of Scotland have moved on – if only our governing party could too.

For some, it is always September 2014. For the hardcore few, those who campaigned and voted decisively against independence remain fools at best, and “traitors” and “quislings” at worst. Others simply relitigate arguments long-since lost, and reassure themselves that inevitable victory is still just around the corner.

Swinney’s life goal

First Minister John Swinney apparently believes that Scotland is closer to independence than ever. I wonder if that is a view shared by his dozens of former colleagues who lost their seats in the House of Commons just two months ago.

As our schools crumble, waiting lists grow, and ferries break down as new ones are delayed time after time after time, our First Minister continues to declare that we are closer to his life’s goal than ever. The dream, they tell us, will never die. Their legacy of neglect for Scottish public services will, at least, have a long life.

The 2014 referendum divided Scotland in ways that we are still unpicking. It has cost us a decade which we cannot get back. Ten years on, however, the new political divide in our country is no longer Yes vs No, but between those who have moved on, and those who cannot.

It is time for us to move forward – and stop looking back.

Alistair Carmichael is the Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland.