Scotland's Smoking Gun

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:00:00. > :00:09.Nelda is time for the first episode of the upcoming documentary series

:00:10. > :00:14.of the Scottish referendum. 2014 and here we are on the brink of a

:00:15. > :00:19.historic vote. And -- a referendum in eight months time they could

:00:20. > :00:23.unravel the act of union and signal the breakup of the United Kingdom.

:00:24. > :00:31.How did we get here? What caused it? To put it another way, what is

:00:32. > :00:35.Scotland boss like smoking gun. Can be traced back to the rebellious

:00:36. > :00:44.baby boomers or the discovery of the black stuff in the North Sea? In

:00:45. > :00:54.Scotland, the PISA oil had been discovered and I thought bingo, that

:00:55. > :00:59.is it. A yes vote in 1979 meant no. The number of no votes, 1,153,000.

:01:00. > :01:05.Is Maggie, Maggie, Maggie the smoking gun? Or the creation of a

:01:06. > :01:11.devolved parliament in 1999 do us all a taste was on the wall. There

:01:12. > :01:30.shall be a Scottish parliament, I like that. And a hunt for the smoke

:01:31. > :01:52.-- first smoking gun start in the 1960s. War is over and the world is

:01:53. > :01:56.swinging to a new breed. -- beat. In the 1960s, the world seemed a more

:01:57. > :02:04.uncertain place. It was confusing, divided and dangerous but most of

:02:05. > :02:20.all, exciting. The explosion of new ideas and lifestyles would be a

:02:21. > :02:35.challenge to the old order. One small step for man... One giant leap

:02:36. > :02:41.for mankind. There was a sense of something building. A lot that

:02:42. > :02:50.challenge that the way things were. Can the real change in Scotland be

:02:51. > :02:53.down to one thing? Television? Television starts kicking in. Most

:02:54. > :03:00.people did not have a TV in the 50s and by the 60s, most of them had.

:03:01. > :03:04.Television did not show the football, it was also responsible

:03:05. > :03:12.for a new kind of politics. Personality politics. Maybe it was

:03:13. > :03:17.personality politics that would change British politics, ushering in

:03:18. > :03:31.a new Chancellor in the referendum story. Britain had Harold Wilson

:03:32. > :03:39.that Scotland had the X Factor. 1967 and the SNP creates a political

:03:40. > :03:44.sensation with a member voted into Parliament. How personality

:03:45. > :03:51.dominated campaign, it was something unique in Scotland. Labour frankly

:03:52. > :04:02.was not equipped to flirt with that. It was machine man politics and the

:04:03. > :04:06.failure to look ahead. I think it was an enormous shark and it was a

:04:07. > :04:14.realisation that votes could not be taken for granted. And he had a very

:04:15. > :04:20.colourful, articulate woman. It was a massive shock wave, they did not

:04:21. > :04:25.see it coming. The majority she turned over was a huge lead the

:04:26. > :04:29.majority. Nobody in the Labour Party saw coming. The impact that had,

:04:30. > :04:43.immediately, was fundamental, indeed. Hamilton has made history

:04:44. > :04:49.for Scotland tonight. Thank you. Was the victory a key to how Scots could

:04:50. > :04:53.warrant a referendum cause? What it did was split the parties of a union

:04:54. > :05:00.to offer Scots the possibility of some kind of self-government. We are

:05:01. > :05:02.pledged to give the people of Scotland genuine participation in

:05:03. > :05:14.all decisions that affect them. In a little over ten years, Scotland

:05:15. > :05:18.had changed beyond all recognition. Scotland's Young had found their

:05:19. > :05:23.voice, a voice in the future may talk of self-government. If National

:05:24. > :05:30.is's time had not quite come, at least it had a new kid on the block.

:05:31. > :05:34.On the other side of the independence to fight, Labour and

:05:35. > :05:40.Tories had now signed up to the idea of home rule. As we turn the corner

:05:41. > :05:50.into the next decade, you could perhaps look forward with some

:05:51. > :05:54.confidence. The 70s. The decade of Glam Rock, the three-day week and

:05:55. > :06:00.some of the worst crimes against fashion. The world was suffering

:06:01. > :06:06.from rising inflation and rising unemployment. The British economy

:06:07. > :06:09.was in trouble. In our story, looking for this year's referendum

:06:10. > :06:17.smoking gun, the 70s are dominated by one thing. Oil. I read in the

:06:18. > :06:23.Scotsman, a piece that said that oil had been discovered. It wasn't even

:06:24. > :06:30.FrontPage. Inside the paper, oil had been discovered. I thought, bingo.

:06:31. > :06:38.That is it. This is the stuff we are talking about. Won liquid gold.

:06:39. > :06:43.Britain now has oil. Five and a half thousand tonnes of hope and capital

:06:44. > :06:48.investment standing foursquare in the North Sea. When oil was switched

:06:49. > :06:55.on and we saw the pipeline coming in, the oil coursing through the

:06:56. > :06:58.vein of the pipe. We did get a sense that this was something that was

:06:59. > :07:03.very important to Scotland's future. If we use it right, the fun of

:07:04. > :07:12.energy can without doubt much improved our economic well-being.

:07:13. > :07:17.This could be Scotland's currency. Things were never the same again.

:07:18. > :07:18.There was a great feeling of excitement. It became a significant

:07:19. > :07:35.game changer. Oil means money. Shetland has a likely fast the

:07:36. > :07:39.different future to its past because of the oil discoveries near it

:07:40. > :07:45.carries. We will have to face up to the temptations of the devil. What

:07:46. > :07:52.are we Scots going to get from it without self-government? There was a

:07:53. > :07:57.you generation being the SNP then. They grasped it big time. The whole

:07:58. > :08:06.world opens up to us with self-government. The slogan was, it

:08:07. > :08:17.is Scotland's oil. Simple as anything. Were worried about what

:08:18. > :08:21.the impact of this would be. This coupled with the revenues from oil

:08:22. > :08:30.would have spooked the parties of the union. Labour and Conservative.

:08:31. > :08:35.Swept away, the only argument you had consistently at that time was

:08:36. > :08:44.that we could not afford it. The oil said, yes we can. Is it right to

:08:45. > :08:59.base in -- Independent on the passing prosperity of oil. While

:09:00. > :09:06.Labour and Conservatives took up the cudgels. A new developments in

:09:07. > :09:15.through the back door. Gavin was a seat where people had Labour

:09:16. > :09:20.households with no problems. The parties became unpopular and seem to

:09:21. > :09:26.get out of touch with people and the Nationalists were a new party, a

:09:27. > :09:32.vigourous party, they had, I put it this way, they had something which

:09:33. > :09:35.people wanted. People felt Labour were too confident. They were too

:09:36. > :09:42.sure of themselves. And they felt they were running Scotland. They did

:09:43. > :09:49.not bother having a count, they just wait the votes and saved public

:09:50. > :09:55.money. In 1973, Margo romped to victory. The following year she lost

:09:56. > :10:02.but seven other SNP members were elected. Still small compared to

:10:03. > :10:07.Labour's 40 MPs. The SNP vote was not a vote for independence, it was

:10:08. > :10:14.a vote for change. What happened was a show of the SNP break meant people

:10:15. > :10:17.were very worried and set up and change minds about the need to

:10:18. > :10:32.support an assembly. There was panic. Soon afterwards, seven became

:10:33. > :10:40.11. In London, Harold Wilson was worried. He was what -- running a

:10:41. > :10:45.minority government and came up with a plan. It would give him little to

:10:46. > :10:48.save a lot. Wilson was not a pro- demolition list. He may have

:10:49. > :10:56.pretended to be at times. They were frightened for themselves. Demand is

:10:57. > :11:10.being articulated in a demand for Scottish assembly. On March one,

:11:11. > :11:15.1979, the country did vote. With a election of nearly three and three

:11:16. > :11:18.quarters million, the Scottish office has drafted in a army of

:11:19. > :11:24.Christ to count the votes and by early evening, Scotland should know

:11:25. > :11:41.if it is yes and no. -- an army of cloaks. The number of yes votes,

:11:42. > :11:51.1,230,000. The number of no votes. 1,153,502. It was a close run thing

:11:52. > :11:56.but Scotland had voted yes. Had in it? There was a sting in the tail,

:11:57. > :12:01.just before the referendum campaign had started, the goalposts had

:12:02. > :12:05.moved. At least 40% of the electorate had to vote yes before

:12:06. > :12:14.the vet -- referendum bill could be passed. Scotland's first opportunity

:12:15. > :12:18.for self-government passed us by. Why is full-blown independence back

:12:19. > :12:23.on the table? As the 1970s came to a close, it is doubtful anyone could

:12:24. > :12:28.have predicted in independence referendum 35 years later. They have

:12:29. > :12:36.the said as a service, not as the master. These are the dish

:12:37. > :12:41.inheritance. Nobody could have seen the devolutionist biggest supporter

:12:42. > :12:46.as Maggie Thatcher. As the 80s began, Scotland was contemplating

:12:47. > :12:50.the death of traditional industries. And in London, particular, it seemed

:12:51. > :13:00.as if it was all about just one thing. It was become money for money

:13:01. > :13:05.sake. Some people say we're not a Scottish party, but neither we in

:13:06. > :13:17.English party. Was a get rich quick period. Profit for profits sake.

:13:18. > :13:20.That is when I realised that a culture that I love the my father

:13:21. > :13:25.loved was going in a different direction. Britain. Like a nation

:13:26. > :13:28.divided and for many going into the voting booths, a smoking gun that

:13:29. > :13:40.led to the referendum is summed up in two words. Maggie and Thatcher.

:13:41. > :13:47.Margaret Thatcher did change things. It was a social revolution that she

:13:48. > :13:54.brought about. Turns out that we in Scotland did not much like many's --

:13:55. > :13:59.Maggie's medicine for change. One recent opinion poll put at as low as

:14:00. > :14:02.12%. It is a government of occupation we are facing in

:14:03. > :14:06.Scotland. Just as surely as if they had an army at our backs will stop

:14:07. > :14:15.when you think about it, I have is they have. The Democratic do assert

:14:16. > :14:19.-- devs are becoming more apparent, that was the Scottish National

:14:20. > :14:27.Convention, the purpose to take Maggie on. What happens if the other

:14:28. > :14:38.voice we all know so well responds, responds by saying we say no. We say

:14:39. > :14:47.no and we are the state. Well, we say yes and we other people. --

:14:48. > :14:50.other people. Scots seem to be seen from the same hymn sheet and thanks

:14:51. > :15:05.to Maggie, things were about to explode. I think the feeling was

:15:06. > :15:10.that if she was doing it to help Scotland, people in Scotland should

:15:11. > :15:13.hear about it and should do that -- do something about it and welcome

:15:14. > :15:26.it. The opposite happened. They became regarded as a nasty Thatcher

:15:27. > :15:31.conspiracy to do damage to Scotland. The thing that really got people the

:15:32. > :15:44.wrong way was making Scotland the guinea pig. For heavens sake. Just

:15:45. > :15:51.that? It didn't bother Margaret Thatcher she didn't have Scotland.

:15:52. > :16:01.It troubled her terribly. The very fact... It went to her soul in a way

:16:02. > :16:13.the few people would understand. It is not going to -- good looking at

:16:14. > :16:19.the campaign. It destroyed Margaret Thatcher. Westminster can nothing

:16:20. > :16:24.for Scotland. They looked for the churches, trade unions and pop world

:16:25. > :16:31.to make protest. Everyone you change had to come. But what or who? The

:16:32. > :16:36.biggest story at the start of the decade was to the departure of

:16:37. > :16:42.Margaret Thatcher. The end of an era in British politics. We are leaving

:16:43. > :16:44.Downing Street for the last time. Margaret Thatcher resigned. I ran

:16:45. > :16:51.through the train shouting. Everybody was cheering on the

:16:52. > :16:56.Glasgow to Edinburgh train. Could Maggie's diaper to be a smoking gun?

:16:57. > :17:08.It sparked Labor back to life. With every day that passes, it looks like

:17:09. > :17:11.the real... Bight in 1982, they looked like they could win the

:17:12. > :17:20.upcoming election. In that election, Neil Kinnock was sounding the fund.

:17:21. > :17:26.But the party would stumble. We expected to win. We had not

:17:27. > :17:33.convinced the public we could -- and they could trust Labor at that

:17:34. > :17:41.point. The Tories led by a major, Margaret Thatcher's successor, won

:17:42. > :17:47.the election. The Tories held just a handful of seats in Scotland. People

:17:48. > :17:53.expected Labour to win but they didn't. On Saturday morning, people

:17:54. > :17:59.just went to George Square. People were determined this was going to

:18:00. > :18:06.happen again. What started as a mob syndicate Scotland United. A

:18:07. > :18:12.grassroots movement demanding role. For the S, after being in the

:18:13. > :18:19.doldrums through the 1980s, a new leader in the 1990s was helping them

:18:20. > :18:29.find their feet. Alex Salmond has won the leadership with an appalling

:18:30. > :18:30.majority. -- overwhelming. With a cold wind- my of the Scottish

:18:31. > :18:42.people. -- hearts and minds. John Smith was an ardent devotion

:18:43. > :18:55.the list. The establishment of Scotland's when

:18:56. > :19:00.Parliament is unfinished business. John had a sense of mission. He was

:19:01. > :19:03.a Scot through and through and a brilliant politician. He would have

:19:04. > :19:09.been a great Prime Minister. That didn't happen. Is life was

:19:10. > :19:16.tragically cut short. It is brief time as they believed, he got into

:19:17. > :19:23.the pollution. Nobody he followed him could have ignored the momentous

:19:24. > :19:29.decision. Batman revolution. Tony Blair was never really connected

:19:30. > :19:35.with evolution. He was sure he could take on the Smith legacy. Blair's

:19:36. > :19:44.power to deliver devolution was limited. Was about to change. Tony

:19:45. > :19:50.Blair with a huge majority. In the election of 1997, new Labor swept

:19:51. > :20:00.the board. Tony Blair became the first Labour Prime Minister in 18

:20:01. > :20:07.years. We will govern as new Labor. That moment brought to an end the

:20:08. > :20:11.conservative era and brought in a time where would have substantial

:20:12. > :20:18.people we would -- where we would do substantial thing for Britain.

:20:19. > :20:24.Labour's win was due to support in Scotland. It will turn 56 Labour

:20:25. > :20:29.MPs. As promised, the Scotland act was passed. A referendum was called

:20:30. > :20:35.for 1987. Tim Paine got under way. 74% of Scots said yesterday the

:20:36. > :20:39.parliament in Scotland. -- campaigning got under way. There

:20:40. > :20:47.shall be a Scottish parliament. I like that. This man became the

:20:48. > :21:00.father of the nation and was elected as first Minister. Alex Salmond had

:21:01. > :21:02.-- went south to Westminster. The 1990s. Tony Blair delivered a

:21:03. > :21:07.Scottish parliament. Some predicted devolution would kill nationalists.

:21:08. > :21:12.But returning from self-imposed exile was one Alexander Elliott

:21:13. > :21:18.Anderson summoned. In time, everything was to change. But could

:21:19. > :21:24.hunt for the cause of the sea's referendum into on this entry's most

:21:25. > :21:31.iconic images so far? -- this year's referendum. The pain of 9/11

:21:32. > :21:39.would soon turn to theory. And that theory into the right call. When

:21:40. > :21:49.Tony Blair joined the American War on Terror, popular anger turned

:21:50. > :21:56.against the Labor. Alex Salmond to ever opportunity to attack Labor

:21:57. > :22:00.over the war. There are creating the circumstances in which terrorism,

:22:01. > :22:07.disarray and civil war and bloodbath are occurring. Alex Salmond is true

:22:08. > :22:11.to have politicians and campaigners. Here is that to good

:22:12. > :22:26.effect. There were deeper issues at work. -- he used that. And there was

:22:27. > :22:34.a venturing into ghastly wars. Something shut in Scotland. Maybe

:22:35. > :22:38.the reason of this year's referendum have lasted over the war thousands

:22:39. > :22:47.of away and had more to do with difficult hand of fate and the

:22:48. > :22:55.unpredictable world of politics. Thousands gathered to lay to rest

:22:56. > :23:03.the first Minister of Scotland. Donald was a big guy politically.

:23:04. > :23:05.His death was a shock. Possibly, our last smoking gun fall in the

:23:06. > :23:14.September referendum returned from the wilderness. The SNP got their

:23:15. > :23:22.act together. Alex Salmond came back with dynamism. In 2004 and 27 Mac,

:23:23. > :23:28.it changed the mindset of Scotland. To go from, what is wrong with

:23:29. > :23:34.Scotland to selling, this is the positives and potential of a

:23:35. > :23:42.self-governing Scotland. SNP had all the factors working in the favour to

:23:43. > :23:54.win. When they did. They had one more seat than labour. -- win. I

:23:55. > :23:59.think we won the election. He was not going to frighten the horses. It

:24:00. > :24:05.was business as usual. By 2011, he had a populist, credible and

:24:06. > :24:08.competent government. In the elections that year, he achieved

:24:09. > :24:19.what many thought was impossible, and overall majority for the ascent

:24:20. > :24:25.-- SNP. The day and night belonged to the SNP. They promised a

:24:26. > :24:30.referendum in the run-up to the election. After negotiations, they

:24:31. > :24:34.kept their promise. The people of Scotland with a yes or no. The

:24:35. > :24:43.question, should Scotland be an independent country? I am happy to

:24:44. > :24:47.be British and Scottish. There is a huge advantage I can see to be part

:24:48. > :24:54.of the UK. Who knows what it ahead of us in 20 years time? This is our

:24:55. > :24:58.time. This is a time of reckoning. We have to take it. This referendum

:24:59. > :25:04.on whether we become independent is extraordinary. Not a fist has been

:25:05. > :25:10.thrown. Some ugly words have thrown. Not a tin can or bomb. It has shown

:25:11. > :25:20.Scotland to be a very mature political entity now. Now the future

:25:21. > :25:25.is fair for us whatever comes. So, on the 18th of September this year,

:25:26. > :25:31.it is over to you folks. Of course, how we got here isn't about one

:25:32. > :25:36.smoking gun at all. No. Scotland's political story of the past 60 years

:25:37. > :25:39.is an accelerating roller-coaster of unforeseen events and unpredictable

:25:40. > :25:45.consequences, off key personalities, mistakes, triumphs, and of the

:25:46. > :25:48.changing nature of how the world works. Hang on to your bonnets. The

:25:49. > :26:41.next eight months might be the most exciting rider of all.

:26:42. > :26:44.After Friday, we are left with flood warnings. High tides and strong

:26:45. > :26:46.westerly