2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy
Supporters of independence said that Scotland had not realised its full economic potential because it was subject to the same economic policy as the rest of the UK. In 2013, the Jimmy Reid Foundation published a report which stated that UK economic policy had become "overwhelmingly geared to helping London, meaning Scotland and other UK regions suffer from being denied the specific, local policies they need". Later in January 2014, Colin Fox said that Scotland is "penalised by an economic model biased towards the South East of England". In November 2013, Chic Brodie said that Scotland was "deprived" of economic benefit in the 1980s after the Ministry of Defence blocked oil exploration off the West of Scotland, ostensibly to avoid interference with the UK's nuclear weapons arsenal.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Banking system
The UK Treasury issued a report on 20 May 2013 which said that Scotland's banking systems would be too big to ensure depositor compensation in the event of a bank failure. The report indicated that Scottish banks would have assets worth 1,254% of GDP, which was more than Cyprus and Iceland before the global financial crisis of the late 2000s. It suggested Scottish taxpayers would each have £65,000 of potential liabilities during a hypothetical bailout in Scotland, versus £30,000 as part of the UK.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Banking system
Economists including Andrew Hughes Hallett, Professor of Economics at St Andrews University, rejected the idea that Scotland would have to underwrite these liabilities alone. He observed that banks operating in more than one country can be given a joint bailout by multiple governments. In this manner, Fortis Bank and the Dexia Bank were bailed out collectively by France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The American Federal Reserve System lent more than $1 trillion to British banks, including $446 billion to the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), because they had operations in the United States.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Banking system
Robert Peston reported in March 2014 that RBS and Lloyds Banking Group might be forced to relocate their head offices from Edinburgh to London in case of Scottish independence, due to a European law brought in after the 1991 collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. Financial groups including RBS, Lloyds, Clydesdale Bank, TSB and Tesco Bank later announced that they planned to move their registered headquarters from Scotland to England in the event of Scotland voting for independence, although most indicated that they had no immediate intention to transfer any jobs.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
Another major economic issue was the currency that would be used by an independent Scotland. The principal options were to establish an independent Scottish currency, join the euro, or retain the pound sterling (a form of currency substitution).


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the SNP's policy was that an independent Scotland should adopt the euro, though this was relegated to a long-term rather than short-term goal by the party's 2009 conference. There was disagreement over whether Scotland would be required to join the euro if it became an EU member state in its own right. All new members are required to commit to joining the single currency as a prerequisite of EU membership, but they must first be party to ERM II for two years. The Scottish government argued that this was a de facto opt-out from the euro, because EU member states are not obliged to join ERM II. For example, the people of Sweden rejected adopting the euro in a 2003 referendum and its government subsequently refused to enter ERM II.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
The SNP favoured continued use of sterling in an independent Scotland through a formal currency union with the UK, with the Bank of England setting its interest rates and monetary policy and acting as its central bank.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
The white paper Scotland's Future identified five key reasons that a currency union "would be in both Scotland and the UK's interests immediately post-independence": Scotland's main trading partner is the UK (⅔ of exports in 2011); "companies operating in Scotland and the UK [...have] complex cross-border supply chains"; there is high labour mobility; "on key measurements of an optimal currency area, the Scottish and UK economies score well"; and short-term economic trends in the UK and Scotland have "a relatively high degree of synchronicity".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
In June 2012, Alistair Darling said voters in the rest of the UK could choose not to be in a currency union with Scotland. Former Prime Minister Sir John Major rejected the idea of a currency union, saying it would require the UK to underwrite Scottish debt. Another former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said the SNP proposal would create a "colonial relationship" between Scotland and Westminster. The then Welsh First Minister, Carwyn Jones, said in November 2013 that he would seek a veto on a currency union between Scotland and the rest of the UK.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
Yes Scotland said that a currency union would benefit both Scotland and the rest of the UK, as Scotland's exports would boost the balance of payments, and consequently strengthen the exchange rate of sterling. Meanwhile, UK economists and financial experts stated that the effect on the balance of payments and the exchange rate would be "largely neutral". Sterling fell by almost one cent against the US dollar in a day early in September 2014, due to an opinion poll showing a swing towards the Yes campaign.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
The Financial Times reported a few days later that "Asset managers, investors and pension savers are moving billions of pounds out of Scotland" because of fears that Scotland would leave the UK. The newspaper also reported that "'exit clauses' are being inserted into commercial property contracts in Scotland to allow buyers to scrap deals or renegotiate prices if voters opt for independence".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
The Scottish government stated that not having a currency union could cost businesses in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland £500 million in transaction charges when trading with an independent Scotland; Plaid Cymru treasury spokesperson Jonathan Edwards commented that such costs were a "threat to Welsh business". Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont said that any additional transaction costs would fall largely on Scottish companies, costing businesses in Scotland 11 times more than those in England. The Institute of Directors stated that any new transaction costs would "pale in comparison to the financial danger of entering an unstable currency union."


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
Banking experts said that being the "junior partner" in a currency arrangement could amount to "a loss of fiscal autonomy for Scotland" if policy constraints were imposed on the Scottish state. Dr Angus Armstrong of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research wrote that the implicit constraints on its economic policy would be more restrictive than the explicit ones it faced as part of the UK. Salmond said in February 2014 that an independent Scotland in a currency union would retain tax and spending powers. Gavin McCrone, former chief economic adviser to the Scottish Office, stated that Scotland's retention of the pound would be pragmatic initially, but problematic thereafter if a Scottish government wished to implement independent policies, and he warned that keeping the pound could lead to the relocation of Scottish banks to London.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
The UK Chancellor George Osborne, as well as equivalent post-holders in the two other main UK political parties, rejected the idea of a formal currency union with an independent Scotland in February 2014. Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said the SNP's proposals for a currency union were "economically incoherent", and that any currency option for an independent Scotland would be "less advantageous than what we have across the UK today".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
After the three main UK political parties ruled out a formal currency union, the Adam Smith Institute said that the economies of Panama, Ecuador and El Salvador "demonstrate that the informal use of another country's currency can foster a healthy financial system and economy". In September 2014, former European Commissioner Olli Rehn stated that an independent Scotland would be unable to meet EU membership requirements if it shared sterling informally, as it would not have an independent central bank. Rehn's comment was disputed by Salmond, who restated his belief that a sterling currency union would be formed and pledged to create the necessary financial institutions.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
The Scottish Socialist Party favoured an independent Scottish currency, pegged to sterling in the short term. The Scottish Green Party said that keeping sterling as "a short term transitional arrangement" should not be ruled out, but also said that the Scottish Government should "keep an open mind about moving towards an independent currency". The Jimmy Reid Foundation, in early 2013, described retention of the pound as a good transitional arrangement, but recommended the eventual establishment of an independent Scottish currency to "insulate" Scotland from the UK's "economic instability". Other proponents of an independent Scottish currency included Yes Scotland chairman Dennis Canavan and former SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
On 9 September 2014, Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, said that a currency union between an independent Scotland and the remainder of the UK would be "incompatible with sovereignty". Carney further explained that cross-border ties on tax, spending and banking rules are a prerequisite: "You only have to look across the continent to look at what happens if you don't have those components in place ... You need tax, revenues and spending flowing across those borders to help equalise, to an extent, some of the inevitable differences [across the union]."


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Currency
A spokesperson for the SNP's finance minister said that "successful independent countries such as France, Germany, Finland and Austria all share a currency – and they are in charge of 100% of their tax revenues, as an independent Scotland would be. At present under devolution, Scotland controls only 7% of our revenues." Carney's comments received vocal support from Darling and the GMB trade union.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Government revenues and expenditure
The Barnett formula, introduced in the late 1970s, had resulted in higher per-capita public spending in Scotland than England. If an allocation of North Sea oil revenue based on geography was included, Scotland also produced more per capita tax revenue than the UK average in the years immediately preceding the referendum. The Institute for Fiscal Studies reported in November 2012 that a geographic share of North Sea oil would more than cover the higher public spending, but warned that oil prices are volatile and that they are drawn from a finite resource. The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report for 2012/13 found that North Sea oil revenue had fallen by 41.5% and that Scotland's public spending deficit had increased from £4.6 billion to £8.6 billion.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Government revenues and expenditure
In May 2014, the UK government published an analysis identifying a "Union dividend" of £1,400 per year for each person in Scotland, mainly due to the higher level of public spending. The Scottish government disputed this analysis, saying that each Scot would be £1,000 better off per year under independence by 2030. Three economic experts said that both estimates were possible, but they depended on unknown variables such as the division of UK government debt, future North Sea oil revenues, possible spending commitments of an independent Scotland and future productivity gains.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Government revenues and expenditure
In its analysis, the UK government also estimated setup costs of £1.5 billion (1% of GDP) for establishing an independent state, or possibly £2.7 billion (180 public bodies costing £15 million each). Patrick Dunleavy of the London School of Economics criticised the UK government's "ludicrous" use of his research in arriving at the latter figure. The Treasury said that their main figure (£1.5 billion) was based on estimates by professor Robert Young of Western University.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Government revenues and expenditure
Two of the main unionist parties in Scotland called on the SNP to publish their own estimate of the setup costs of an independent state, but the Scottish government said that an estimate was not possible as the final bill would depend on negotiations with the rest of the UK. Professor Dunleavy estimated immediate setup costs of £200 million in a report commissioned by the Sunday Post newspaper, with "total transition costs" of between £600 million and £1,500 million in the first 10 years of independence.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Government revenues and expenditure
The credit rating that an independent Scotland would merit also became a subject of debate. The credit-rating agency Fitch stated in 2012 that it could not give an opinion on what rating Scotland would have, because Scottish finances would largely depend on the result of negotiations between the UK and Scotland and specifically the division of UK assets and liabilities.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Economy, Government revenues and expenditure
Standard & Poor's, another credit-rating agency, asserted in February 2014 that Scotland would face "significant, but not unsurpassable" challenges, and that "even excluding North Sea output and calculating per capita GDP only by looking at onshore income, Scotland would qualify for our highest economic assessment". Research published by Moody's in May 2014 said that an independent Scotland would be given an A rating, comparable with Poland, the Czech Republic and Mexico. An A rating would have been two grades below its then rating for the UK, which Moody's said would be unaffected by Scottish independence.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Energy, Energy market
Most issues regarding energy were controlled by the UK government, although control over planning laws had allowed the Scottish government to prevent the construction of new nuclear power stations in Scotland. Supporters of independence wanted to retain a single energy market for the whole of Great Britain after independence, to maintain price stability and support for suppliers. Opponents said that independence would threaten that single energy market.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Energy, Energy market
Euan Phimister, professor of economics at Aberdeen University, said that although independence would affect the relationship, it was likely that there would be continued English demand for electricity generated in Scotland due to the lack of spare capacity elsewhere. The second largest supplier of energy in the UK, SSE plc, believed that a single market would be the most likely outcome under independence, although it would require negotiations that may have led to changes to the existing system.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Energy, Energy market
Labour MP Caroline Flint said that independence would mean higher energy bills in Scotland, as its customers would have to pay more to support renewable energy in Scotland, which represented one-third of the UK total. Euan Phimister said that bills were likely to increase across the whole of Great Britain because renewable schemes and new nuclear power stations in England were receiving higher subsidies than the power plants which were due for closure due to environmental regulations.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Energy, Energy market
He also said that there was a distinction between existing and proposed renewable schemes in that the existing schemes had already been paid for, whereas any new construction required the promise of subsidy from the consumer. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey stated Scottish generators would no longer be eligible for UK subsidies, which would increase energy bills for consumers.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Energy, North Sea oil
Approximately 90% of the United Kingdom's North Sea oil fields were located in Scottish territorial waters. The tax revenue generated from an offshore site was not counted within the nation or region nearest to it, but was instead allocated to the UK Continental Shelf. The revenue from North Sea oil was used to support current expenditure, and the UK did not create a sovereign oil fund (as in Norway). The SNP believed that a portion of the revenues should have been invested in a sovereign oil fund.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Energy, North Sea oil
The Scottish government, citing industry body Oil and Gas UK, estimated in Scotland's Future that there were 24 billion barrels of oil equivalent  still to be extracted. Sir Ian Wood, founder of oil services company Wood Group, said in August 2014 that he believed there were between 15 and 16.5 billion boe and that the impact from declining production would be felt by 2030. In September 2014, an investigation by industry recruitment website Oil and Gas People stated that there were extensive oil reserves to the west of the Western Isles and Shetland. The report anticipated that the region would be developed within the next 10 years because of improvements in drilling technology, rig design and surveying.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
The SNP advocated that an independent Scotland should become a full member state of the European Union (EU) with some exemptions, such as not having to adopt the euro. There was debate over whether Scotland would be required to re-apply for membership, and if it could retain the UK's opt-outs. The European Commission (EC) offered to provide an opinion to an existing member state on the matter, but the UK government confirmed it would not seek this advice, as it did not want to negotiate the terms of independence in advance of the referendum.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
There was no precedent for an EU member state dividing into two sovereign countries after joining the EU. Supporters of independence stated that an independent Scotland would become an EU member by treaty amendment under Article 48 of the EU treaties. Opponents said that this would not be possible and that an independent Scotland would need to apply for EU membership under Article 49, which would require ratification by each member state.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
Christina McKelvie, Convener of the European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament, in March 2014 asked Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission, whether Article 48 would apply. Reding replied that EU treaties would no longer apply to a territory when it secedes from a member state. She also indicated that Article 49 would be the route to apply to become a member of the EU. José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, stated earlier that an independent Scotland would have to apply for EU membership, while the rest of the UK would continue to be a member. In 2014, he reiterated that Scotland joining the EU would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
The former prime minister Sir John Major suggested in November 2013 that Scotland would need to re-apply for EU membership, but that this would mean overcoming opposition to separatism among other member states.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
It was reported by the Independent that Spain could block Scottish membership of the EU, amid fears of repercussions with separatist movements in Catalonia and the Basque Country: in November 2013 the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, said: "I know for sure that a region that would separate from a member state of the European Union would remain outside the European Union and that should be known by the Scots and the rest of the European citizens."


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
He also stated that an independent Scotland would become a "third country" outside the EU and would require the consent of all 28 EU states to rejoin the EU, but that he would not seek to block an independent Scotland's entry. Salmond cited a letter from Mario Tenreiro of the EC's secretariat general that said it would be legally possible to renegotiate the situation of the UK and Scotland within the EU by unanimous agreement of all member states. Spain's position was reiterated two days before the referendum by their European Affairs minister.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
Professor Sir David Edward, a former European Court judge, stated that the EU institutions and member states would be "obliged" to start negotiations before independence took effect to decide the future relationship. He said this would be achieved by agreed amendment of the existing Treaties (Article 48), rather than a new Accession Treaty (Article 49). Graham Avery, the EC's honorary director-general, agreed with Edward.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
Avery wrote a report, published by the European Policy Centre, which said that EU leaders would probably allow Scotland to be part of the EU because of the legal and practical difficulties that would arise from excluding it. In a research paper, Professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott of Oxford University stated that the EU law normally takes a "pragmatic and purposive approach" to issues that are not already provided for by existing treaties.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
Research published by the Economic and Social Research Council in August 2014 concluded that it was unlikely that an independent Scotland would be cut off from the rights and obligations of EU membership for any period of time, even if Scotland was not formally a member state of the EU from its date of independence.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
In January 2013, the Republic of Ireland's Minister of European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton, stated that "if Scotland were to become independent, Scotland would have to apply for membership and that can be a lengthy process". She later clarified those remarks, writing that she "certainly did not at any stage suggest that Scotland could, should or would be thrown out of the EU".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union
In May 2013, Roland Vaubel, an Alternative for Germany adviser, published a paper stating that Scotland would remain a member of the EU upon independence, and suggested there would need to be negotiations between the British and Scottish governments on sharing "the rights and obligations of the predecessor state". Vaubel also said that Barroso's comments on the legal position had "no basis in the European treaties".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union, Future status of the United Kingdom in the European Union
In January 2013, David Cameron committed the Conservative Party to a referendum before the end of 2017 on UK membership of the EU if they won the 2015 UK general election. Legislation for an in/out EU referendum was approved by the House of Commons in November 2013. Studies showed some divergence in attitudes to the EU in Scotland and the rest of the UK.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union, Future status of the United Kingdom in the European Union
Although a Scottish government review based on survey data between 1999 and 2005 found that people in Scotland reported "broadly similar Eurosceptic views as people in Britain as a whole", Ipsos MORI noted in February 2013 that while 58% of voters in Scotland supported holding a referendum on EU membership, a majority also said they would vote to remain in the bloc. In contrast, there was a majority for withdrawal in England.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, European Union, Future status of the United Kingdom in the European Union
Yes Scotland said that the UK government plans for an EU referendum had caused "economic uncertainty" for Scotland. During a CBI Scotland event attended by Cameron, businessman Mike Rake criticised him for creating uncertainty about EU membership. In response to such criticism, Cameron pointed to examples of inward investment in the UK that he said was not happening in the rest of Europe. Some commentators suggested that the UK leaving the EU could undermine the case for Scottish independence, since free trade, freedom of movement and the absence of border controls between Scotland and England could no longer be assumed.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Health care
Responsibility for most aspects of health care was devolved to the Scottish Parliament when it was established in 1999. The Scottish government enacted health policies which were different from those in England, such as abolishing charges for prescriptions and elderly personal care. NHS Scotland was operationally independent of the NHS in the rest of the United Kingdom since the formation of the NHS in 1948. Supporters of independence argued that independence was needed because possible reductions in the NHS budget in England would result in reduced funding for Scotland, which would make it difficult to maintain the existing service. Harry Burns, a former chief medical officer for Scotland, said in July 2014 that he thought independence could be beneficial for public health because it may give people greater control of their lives.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Health care
In May 2014, about 100 medical workers, including surgeons, consultant doctors, GPs, pharmacists, dentists, hospital porters and janitors joined a pro-independence campaign group called "NHS for Yes". Its co-founder described health care in Scotland as "a shining example of self-government for Scotland demonstrably being far better than Westminster government" and said independence would "protect [NHS Scotland] from future Westminster funding cuts, and the damaging impact of privatisation south of the border". In contrast, opponents argued that a subsequent drop in funding to an independent Scottish Government would have a significantly larger effect upon the budget. Concerns were also raised about the impact on the medical research sector in Scotland from the loss of UK wide research funding.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Health care
Two days before the referendum, papers indicating "a funding gap of £400–£450m in the next two financial years, 2015–17", for Scotland's NHS, resulting from Scottish government policies, were leaked to the media. A Scottish government spokesperson commented that the papers were from "part of the regular discussions among NHS leaders to plan for NHS Scotland's future".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Health care, Specialist treatment
Opponents of independence said that being part of the UK was crucial in allowing Scots to obtain specialist treatment elsewhere in the UK. Although operationally independent, NHS Scotland had reciprocal arrangements in place with the NHS services in the rest of the UK and specialist services were shared. Vote No Borders, a unionist campaign group, ran a cinema advert which claimed that Scots would find it more difficult to obtain treatment at the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), a London facility which provided specialist care for children. Vote No Borders withdrew the advert after GOSH complained that it had not been consulted about the advert and stated that they had reciprocal health care agreements with numerous countries.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, International relations
The white paper on independence proposed that an independent Scotland would open around 100 embassies around the world. Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that an independent Scotland would be "marginalised" at the United Nations, where the UK is a permanent member of the Security Council. Former Prime Minister John Major suggested that the UK could lose its permanent seat at the Security Council if Scotland became independent.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Monarchy
Forming a republic was favoured by some pro-independence political parties and organisations, including the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Socialist Party. The SNP favoured an independent Scotland continuing to recognise Elizabeth II as Queen of Scotland. Christine Grahame MSP said she believed that party policy was to hold a referendum on the matter, due to a 1997 SNP conference resolution.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Monarchy
Some media reports suggested that the announcement on 8 September of the pregnancy of the Duchess of Cambridge with her second child would help pro-union sentiment. The Queen's official position on Scottish independence was neutral. Just prior to the referendum, Elizabeth II said in a private conversation that she hoped people would "think very carefully about the future".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Pensions
UK State Pensions were managed by the UK government, paying £113.10 per week to a single person who is of state pension age in the 2013/14 tax year. The state pension age for men was 65, but this was due to rise to 66 in 2020 and 67 by 2028. Research by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that an independent Scotland could delay these increases, due to a lower life expectancy. The Scotland's Future white paper pledged to maintain a state pension at a similar rate to the UK.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Pensions
Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in April 2014 that Scotland had an above-average share of the public-sector pension bill and concluded that pensions would be protected by sharing risks and resources within the UK. UK government pensions minister Steve Webb said in May 2014 that Scots would be entitled to the current levels of state pension after independence because they had accumulated rights within the existing system. Webb went on to say that there would need to be negotiations between the UK and Scotland as to how these pensions would be paid.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Pensions
In relation to private pension schemes, a report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland expressed concern that there were no plans to deal with EU regulations that may affect the funding of cross-border defined benefit schemes. The EC decided in March 2014 not to relax these regulations, which require cross-border schemes to be fully funded.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Sport
Scotland hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, less than two months before the referendum. The Scottish team won a record number of gold medals, which the writer Alan Bisset said would help give voters more belief and confidence. Sunday Herald columnist Ian Bell took an opposing view, saying that sporting success would be unlikely to aid support for independence, due to the lengthy and passionate debate on the subject.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Sport
Former Labour first minister Henry McLeish published a report in May 2014 that found no obvious barriers to an independent Scotland competing in the 2016 Summer Olympics. McLeish said that some athletes, particularly those in team sports, may choose to compete for the existing Great Britain team rather than Scotland, as they would be nationals of both states. International Olympic Committee representative Craig Reedie pointed out that Scotland would need to obtain United Nations membership and may want to set its own Olympic qualifying standards, which would need to be done in the period between independence (March 2016) and the closing date for entries (July 2016).


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Sport
Gordon Brown pointed to the 2012 medal count for Great Britain, saying that it showed the success of the union. Scottish athletes were involved in 13 of the 65 medals won by Great Britain in 2012, but only three of those were won without assistance by athletes from other parts of the UK.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Sport
Sir Chris Hoy said in May 2013 that it would "take time" for Scottish athletes to "establish themselves in a new training environment", and indicated that the good performance of Scottish athletes in the Great Britain team would not automatically translate into that of an independent Scotland team. Hoy also said that he believed the lack of facilities and coaching infrastructure in Scotland would have to be addressed by an independent state.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Status of Northern and Western Isles
The prospect of an independent Scotland raised questions about the future of the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland) and the Western Isles, island groups off the Scottish mainland. Some islanders called for separate referendums to be held in the islands on 25 September 2014, one week after the Scottish referendum. In March 2014, the Scottish Parliament published an online petition it had received calling for such referendums, which was supported by Shetland MSP Tavish Scott.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Status of Northern and Western Isles
The proposed referendums would have asked islanders to choose from three options: that the island group should become an independent country; that it should remain in Scotland; or that (in the event of Scottish independence) it should remain in the UK. The third option would have implemented a conditional promise made in 2012 by an SNP spokesperson, who said that Orkney and Shetland could remain in the United Kingdom if their "drive for self-determination" was strong enough.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Status of Northern and Western Isles
Politicians in the three island groups referred to the Scottish referendum as the most important event in their political history "since the inception of the island councils in 1975". Angus Campbell, leader of the Western Isles, said that the ongoing constitutional debate offered the "opportunity for the three island councils to secure increased powers for our communities to take decisions which will benefit the economies and the lives of those who live in the islands". In a meeting of the island councils in March 2013, leaders of the three territories discussed their future in the event of Scottish independence.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Status of Northern and Western Isles
This included whether the islands could demand and achieve autonomous status within either Scotland or the rest of the UK. Among the scenarios proposed were achieving either Crown Dependency status or self-government modelled after the Faroe Islands, in association with either Scotland or the UK. Steven Heddle, Orkney's council leader, described pursuing Crown Dependency status as the least likely option, as it would threaten funding from the EU, which was essential for local farmers. Alasdair Allan, MSP for the Western Isles, said independence could have a positive impact on the isles, as "crofters and farmers could expect a substantial uplift in agricultural and rural development funding via the Common Agricultural Policy if Scotland were an independent member state of the EU".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Status of Northern and Western Isles
In July 2013, the Scottish government made the Lerwick Declaration, indicating an interest in devolving power to Scotland's islands. By November, it had committed to devolving further powers to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles in the event of independence. Steven Heddle called for legislation to that effect to be introduced regardless of the referendum result.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Status of Northern and Western Isles
A day before the referendum Alistair Carmichael, the MP for Orkney and Shetland, and then-Secretary of State for Scotland, suggested that if Shetland were to vote strongly against independence but the Scottish national vote was narrowly in favour, a discussion should be had about Shetland becoming a self-governing crown dependency outside of independent Scotland, similar to the Isle of Man. He stated that he did not want such circumstances to arise, "and the best way to avoid this was to vote no in the referendum."


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Scientific research
In 2012–13, Scottish universities received 13.1% of Research Councils UK funding. Alan Trench of University College London said that Scottish universities had received a "hugely disproportionate" level of funding and would no longer be able to access it following independence. Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, suggested that independence would mean Scottish universities losing £210m in research funding. The Institute of Physics in Scotland warned that access to international facilities such as the CERN Large Hadron Collider, the European Space Agency, and European Southern Observatory could require renegotiation by the Scottish government. It also expressed concerns about research funding from UK charities and the reaction of international companies with Scottish facilities.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Scientific research
The Scottish government's education secretary, Michael Russell, said that Scotland's universities had a "global reputation" that would continue to attract investment after independence. In September 2013, the principal of the University of Aberdeen said that Scottish universities could continue to access UK research funding through a "single research area" that crossed both nations' boundaries. David Bell, professor of economics at the University of Stirling, said that cross-border collaboration might continue, but Scottish universities could still lose their financial advantage.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Scientific research
Roger Cook of the Scotland Institute pointed out that although Scottish universities had received a higher share of Research Councils funding, they were much less dependent on this as a source of funding than their counterparts in England. Professors from Scotland's five medical schools wrote an open letter warning that independence would mean Scotland's researcher base being "denied its present ability to win proportionately more grant funding".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Scientific research
Questions were asked whether Scotland, as an economy of a smaller size than the UK, would still support the same level of research activity, and what additional efforts might be required to establish a system of research councils "north of the border". Jo Shaw, Salvesen chair of European institutions at the University of Edinburgh, noted that in smaller states, relationships between universities and research funders became "cosy", and led to a "corporatist" approach.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Student funding
At the time of the referendum, Students domiciled in Scotland did not pay tuition fees. Students domiciled in the rest of the UK were charged fees of up to £9,000 per annum by Scottish universities, but those from other EU member states were not charged fees due to EU law.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Student funding
If Scotland had become an independent state, students from the rest of the UK would have been in the same position as students from the rest of the EU. A University of Edinburgh study found that this would cause a loss in funding, which could have squeezed out Scottish students.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Student funding
The study suggested three courses of action for an independent Scotland: introducing tuition fees for all students; negotiating an agreement with the EU where a quota of student places would be reserved for Scots; or introducing a separate admissions service for students from other EU member states, with an admission fee attached. It concluded that the EU may allow a quota system for some specialist subjects, such as medicine, where there was a clear need for local students to be trained for particular careers, but that other subjects would not be eligible. The study also found that their third suggestion would run against the spirit of the Bologna agreement, which aimed to encourage EU student mobility.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Student funding
The Scottish government stated in its white paper, Scotland's Future, that the present tuition fees arrangement would remain in place in an independent Scotland, as the EU allowed for different fee arrangements in "exceptional circumstances". Jan Figel, a former EU commissioner for education, said in January 2014 that it would be illegal for an independent Scotland to apply a different treatment to students from the rest of the UK. The Law Society of Scotland concurred.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Universities, Student funding
A report by a House of Commons select committee stated that it would cost an independent Scottish government £150 million to provide free tuition to students from the rest of the UK. A group of academics campaigning for independence expressed concern that the present arrangements would not continue if Scotland stayed within the UK, due to public spending cuts in England and the consequential effects of the Barnett formula.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Welfare
The Yes campaign argued that control of welfare policy would be a major benefit of independence. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, independence would "give the opportunity for more radical reform, so that the [welfare] system better reflects the views of the Scottish people". Yes Scotland and deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the existing welfare system could only be guaranteed by voting for independence. In September 2013, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), which represents charities, called for a separate welfare system to be established in Scotland.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Welfare
In November 2013, the Scottish government pledged to use the powers of independence to reverse key aspects of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, which was implemented across the UK despite opposition from a majority of Scotland's MPs. It said it would abolish Universal Credit and the bedroom tax. The SNP also criticised Rachel Reeves, Labour's shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, for saying that a future UK Labour government would be even tougher on benefits than the Cameron–Clegg coalition government.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Welfare
In January 2012, sources close to the prime minister told The Scotsman that "a unified tax and benefit system is at the heart of a united country" and that these powers could not be devolved to Scotland after the referendum, though Liberal Democrat Michael Moore said in August 2013 that devolution of parts of the welfare budget should be "up for debate". Labour politician Jim Murphy, a former Secretary of State for Scotland, said that he was "fiercely committed" to devolving welfare powers to the Scottish Parliament, but also warned that independence would be disruptive and would not be beneficial. Scottish Labour's Devolution Commission recommended in March 2014 that some aspects of the welfare state, including housing benefit and attendance allowance, should be devolved.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Issues, Welfare
Feminist economist Ailsa McKay, a supporter of the Radical Independence movement, argued that an independent Scotland should change its welfare system dramatically by offering all its people a basic income.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Public events
A number of demonstrations in support of independence were co-ordinated following the announcement of the referendum. The March and Rally for Scottish Independence in September 2012 drew a crowd of between 5,000 and 10,000 people to Princes Street Gardens. The event was repeated in September 2013; police estimated that over 8,000 people took part in the march, while organisers and the Scottish Police Federation claimed between 20,000 and 30,000 people took part in the combined march and rally. The March and Rally was criticised in both 2012 and 2013 for the involvement of groups like the Scottish Republican Socialist Movement and Vlaamse Volksbeweging.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Public events
Five days before the referendum vote, the Orange Order – a Protestant brotherhood – held a major anti-independence march and rally in Edinburgh. It involved at least 15,000 Orangemen, loyalist bands and supporters from Scotland and across the UK, and was described as the biggest pro-Union demonstration of the campaign up to that date. A rally for UK unity, organised by the Let's Stay Together campaign, was attended by 5,000 people in London's Trafalgar Square on the Monday preceding the referendum. Similar events were held in London, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff, Manchester and Belfast on the day before the referendum.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Public events
Labour MP Jim Murphy conducted a Scotland-wide tour to campaign for the No side, intending to visit 100 towns and cities in 100 days before the referendum. On 28 August he suspended his tour, after being hit by an egg in Kirkcaldy, and it was resumed on 3 September. Murphy said that he had been subjected to "co-ordinated abuse" from Yes supporters and pointed to evidence of this on social media. Better Together released footage of events in the tour where he was heckled by members of the public, some of whom called him a "traitor", "parasite", "terrorist" and "quisling". David Cameron said that "there's nothing wrong with a bit of heckling, but throwing things isn't necessarily part of the democratic process". Alex Salmond pointed out that people had "every entitlement to peaceful protest", but also said that "people shouldn't throw eggs at somebody full stop".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Public events, Hands Across The Border
Hands Across The Border was a campaign founded in support of Scotland remaining in the United Kingdom. The campaign was the idea of Conservative politician Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and The Border. In July 2014, the campaign initiated the construction of a large cairn on the Anglo-Scottish border at Gretna. The cairn was named 'The Auld Acquaintance', and was constructed by stones brought from across the UK and placed on the cairn by members of the public who wished to show their support for Scotland staying in the United Kingdom. The cairn was completed in September 2014, days before the referendum was held. The campaign received support from several public figures.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Online campaigns
At the launch of the Yes Scotland campaign in May 2012, Alex Salmond said that the case for independence would be driven by community activism and "online wizardry".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Online campaigns
The not-for-profit and non-partisan What Scotland Thinks project tracked poll and survey data, including online activity, during the referendum campaign. Using data from the Applied Quantitative Methods Network (AQMeN) research centre, the project compiled the social media activity of the two main campaigns, Yes Scotland and Better Together, by monitoring their respective Facebook and Twitter accounts since August 2013. What Scotland Thinks published a report in February 2014 stating that the Yes Scotland campaign was gaining more Facebook likes.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Online campaigns
Following the launch of the White Paper on 26 November, the average gap between the two Facebook pages grew from about 8,000 to about 23,000 by February 2014. Analysis of the campaigns' Twitter accounts showed the gap between the campaigns increased from approximately 8,000 followers in August 2013 to 13,804 followers in February 2014, in favour of Yes Scotland. The project published a further report in June 2014 saying that greater online activity for Yes Scotland had continued.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Online campaigns
Professor Michael Keating said in April 2014 that the pro-independence movement was visibly stronger and fighting a "ground war", while unionist supporters were fighting an "'air war' of facts and figures".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Online campaigns
The launch of online celebrity videos from both viewpoints was reported by the media in mid-July 2014. The "Let's Stay Together" campaign group produced a YouTube video called "'Scotland, you're my best friend'", featuring John Barrowman, Ross Kemp and Eddie Izzard. A pro-independence video was produced by Yes Scotland and appeared on the campaign's YouTube channel. Titled "✘ on September 18th #voteYes", the video features 32 people, including David Hayman, Martin Compston and Stuart Braithwaite.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Online campaigns
The pro-independence organisation National Collective was identified by the Independent newspaper as the initiators of an online hashtag campaign that began in mid-August 2014. Writing for the Independent, Antonia Molloy said that the previous "#IndyReasons" hashtag campaign served as the inspiration for the "#YesBecause" campaign that was observed on the Twitter, Facebook and Vine social media platforms. From 21 August, users were invited to explain their reasons for voting "Yes" and #YesBecause was trending on Twitter after an hour from the launch. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported on 22 August that a "#NoBecause" campaign emerged in opposition to the Collective.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Debates
Debates over the issue of independence took place on television, in communities, and within universities and societies since the announcement of the referendum. The STV current affairs programme Scotland Tonight televised a series of debates: Nicola Sturgeon v Michael Moore, Sturgeon v Anas Sarwar, Sturgeon v Alistair Carmichael and Sturgeon v Johann Lamont. On 21 January 2014, BBC Two Scotland broadcast the first in a series of round-table debates, which was filmed in Greenock and chaired by James Cook.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Debates
The Yes campaign repeatedly called for a televised debate between UK Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond. These calls for a one-on-one debate were dismissed by Cameron on the basis that the referendum is "for Scots to decide" and the debate should be "between people in Scotland who want to stay, and people in Scotland who want to go". Calls for such a debate were also supported by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown who said it would be a "good idea".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Debates
Better Together chairman Alistair Darling accused Salmond of "running scared" from debating him instead, although Sturgeon stated in 2013 that a Salmond–Darling debate would take place at some point. Darling refused a public debate with Yes Scotland chairman Blair Jenkins. UKIP leader Nigel Farage also challenged Salmond to debate, but Farage was dismissed by an SNP spokeswoman as "an irrelevance in Scotland".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Debates
After weeks of negotiation, a debate between Salmond and Darling was arranged. The programme, titled as Salmond & Darling: The Debate, was broadcast by STV on 5 August 2014. The debate, moderated by Bernard Ponsonby, saw both politicians make opening statements and cross-examine each other before taking questions from the audience. At the end of the clash, they were both given the chance to make a closing speech. Both campaign groups claimed victory in the debate. A snap poll conducted by ICM stated Darling won the debate by 56% to 44%. In his analysis of the ICM poll, Professor John Curtice detected little movement either way as a result of the debate.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Debates
A second debate between Salmond and Darling, titled Scotland Decides: Salmond versus Darling  was shown on BBC One Scotland (and BBC Two in the rest of the UK) on 25 August, and was hosted by Glenn Campbell. Salmond was perceived to have won the debate, and a snap poll conducted by ICM Research stated Salmond won the debate by 71% to 29%.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Accusations of BBC bias
In January 2014, a year-long academic study by John Robertson at the University of the West of Scotland found that coverage by the BBC and the Scottish commercial channel STV had favoured the No campaign, although Robertson conceded that this was partly due to there being more major political parties in favour of No. In March 2014, BBC Scotland chiefs appeared before a Scottish Parliament committee to face questions from MSPs about the broadcaster's coverage. During that session, BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie disputed the findings of Robertson's study, saying that its conclusions were largely based upon "flawed analysis" and had contained factual errors.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Accusations of BBC bias
During the latter stages of the campaign there were further allegations by some independence supporters that the BBC – the UK's national broadcaster – was biased against Scottish independence. In an interview for the Sunday Herald, Alex Salmond said he believed the BBC had been unconsciously biased against independence. Former BBC journalist Paul Mason commented: "Not since Iraq have I seen BBC News working at propaganda strength like this". The BBC replied that "Our coverage of the referendum story is fair and impartial in line with the editorial guidelines". Alex Massie wrote in The Spectator that the BBC's coverage was consistent with their attitude towards other government proposals of such magnitude and that it was incumbent upon the Yes campaign to prove its assertions.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Accusations of BBC bias
On 29 June, several hundred independence supporters gathered in a demonstration outside BBC Pacific Quay, the main BBC studio in Glasgow, in protest at its alleged bias. A week before the vote, BBC political editor Nick Robinson said in a news item that Salmond "didn't answer" his questions at a press conference. Several thousand independence supporters then protested at the BBC Scotland headquarters, accusing the BBC of broadcasting pro-Union "propaganda" and "lies". The Independent reported that the protesters accused Robinson of working "with the Treasury to spread lies about the dangers to business and financial services of an independent Scotland".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Accusations of BBC bias
Alastair Campbell said that the "organised protests" amounted to media censorship "not far off" Vladimir Putin's Russia, telling Twitter users they should "Vote YES for intimidation". The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) asked people to think about the implications of alleging journalistic bias when its members were only asking difficult questions. Robinson later expressed his "regret" at using the phrase "didn't answer" in his report and criticised the protests.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Accusations of BBC bias
Speaking after the referendum, Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins said that he did not believe there was a "systemic bias" against Yes or any "corporate intent to disadvantage the Yes campaign".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Intimidation
In addition to the incidents described above, there were reports of intimidation during the campaign. A survey of the 133 business leaders who signed a public letter backing the Union reported that half of respondents "said that they had felt intimidated or pressurised by SNP or the Yes campaign as a result of their views". The Daily Telegraph reported that other businesspeople had been unwilling to express an opinion on the referendum publicly because they were concerned about a loss of business from the SNP-led Scottish government or local government.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Responses, Intimidation
The NUJ called for abuse and bullying of its members, which had been led by online attacks, to end, commenting that, "For the duration of the referendum there has been hostility to journalists doing their jobs". The Scottish Police Federation stated that criminal acts related to the referendum were few in number and criticised those "suggesting a minority of mindless idiots are representative of anything".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Opinion polling
Professor John Curtice stated in January 2012 that polling showed support for independence at 32%–38% of the Scottish population, which represented a slight decline from 2007, when the SNP had first formed the Scottish government. By 2012, there had been no poll evidence of majority support for independence, although the share "vehemently opposed to independence" had declined. According to Curtice, the polls were stable during most of 2013, with "no" leading by an average of 17% with a year to go. Polling expert Nate Silver said in 2013 that the yes campaign had "virtually no chance" of winning the referendum. After the referendum, Silver said that although his prediction had been proven "right" he had done little research beforehand.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Opinion polling
The gap narrowed after the release of the Scottish government white paper on independence: an average of five polls in December 2013 and January 2014 gave 39% yes and 61% no, once 'don't knows' had been excluded. The polls tightened further after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, stated in February that the UK government was opposed to a currency union; the average yes support increased to 43%, once 'don't knows' had been excluded. There was little movement in the following months, with the average continuing to show 43% yes and 57% no (excluding don't knows) in July 2014 and August 2014.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Opinion polling
In early September, polls indicated that the vote would be closer than had been indicated earlier. On 6 September a YouGov poll gave those in favour 47% versus 45% for those against; excluding those undecided, the figures were 51% and 49%, respectively. The final polls, taken in the last few days of the campaign, indicated a lead for No of between 4% and 6%. No exit poll was conducted. Soon after polling stations had closed, YouGov released a final poll that had been taken during the day of voting, indicating 46% Yes, 54% No.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Opinion polling
Writing after the referendum, Nate Silver pointed out that the final margin of victory for No was greater than that indicated by the opinion polls. He suggested that this could have been due to less enthusiastic voters being more pro-Union, which may not have been reflected in the polls. Stephen Fisher, a sociology professor at Oxford University, noted in a study of other constitutional referendums that pollsters had tended to overestimate the "Yes" option.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Voting, Administration
The Scottish Independence Referendum Bill identified the Convener of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland as Chief Counting Officer for the referendum. The Chief Counting Officer, Mary Pitcaithly, was supported by a Counting Officer in each of the 32 local authority areas of Scotland, who was typically the Chief Executive for that local authority. Each Counting Officer had a referendum team, which included:


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Voting, Voting places and times
Voting took place between 07:00 and 22:00 BST in "polling places", which included schools, church halls, libraries and community centres. Those who were still queuing when polls closed were not denied the chance to vote.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Voting, Count of votes
Counting began after polls closed. Votes from the 32 local government areas were counted and announced by each area separately. Results came in during the early hours of 19 September, with the first result being from Clackmannanshire, and the last being from Highland.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Results
55.3% voted against independence, with a turnout of 84.6%. 28 of the 32 council areas voted "No", although the four areas that voted "Yes" (Dundee, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire) contained over 20% of the Scottish electorate.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Results
The overall turnout of 84.6% was very high for Scotland. Turnout was around 50–60% for elections to the Scottish and UK parliaments in the early 21st century. The most recent United Kingdom general election with a comparable turnout was in 1950, when 83.9% voted. The last ballot in the United Kingdom with a higher turnout than 84.6% was in January 1910, when no women and fewer men were allowed to vote (i.e., before universal suffrage applied to UK elections). Of the 32 areas, East Dunbartonshire had the highest turnout at 91.0%, and Glasgow the lowest at 75.0%.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Results
An academic study, surveying 5,000 Scottish voters soon after the referendum, found that the majority for No was formed by an "unusual alliance" of the very young, average earners, Protestants and women. The study supported polling evidence that there was a gender gap, but countered beliefs that higher earners had supported No and that younger voters had mostly voted Yes.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Results
According to John Curtice, polling evidence indicates that support for independence was highest among those aged in their late 20s and early 30s, with a higher No vote among those aged between 16–24. There was an age gap at the referendum, with elderly voters being the most likely to vote against independence and younger voters aged under 55, except for those aged between 16–24, generally being more in favour of independence.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Results
Those in C2DE, or "working class", occupations were slightly more likely to vote in favour of independence than those in ABC1, or "middle class", occupations' however, there was a significant discrepancy in voting between those living in the most deprived areas and those living in the least deprived areas, with those in more deprived areas being significantly more likely to vote in favour of independence and those in more affluent areas being more likely to vote against independence. This was picked up by other academics, with data from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation study from 2012 indicating that the six most deprived local authorities in Scotland returned the highest Yes vote shares at the referendum.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Results, Analysis of voters' reasons
On the day of the referendum, Lord Ashcroft conducted a poll of over 2,000 voters to identify the major reasons for their voting choices. This poll found that among No voters, more than half (57%) stated the pound sterling was one of the most important factors in their decision. Among Yes voters, the biggest single motivation was "disaffection with Westminster politics".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Domestic reaction
Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement following the referendum, in which she said that it was "a result that all of us throughout the United Kingdom will respect" and that the Royal Family would support all efforts to "work constructively for the future of Scotland and indeed all parts of this country".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Domestic reaction
Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "delighted" with the result, adding: "it would have broken my heart to see our United Kingdom come to an end and I know that this sentiment was shared not just by people across our country but also around the world". While attending a public event later in September, Cameron told Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York City, that the Queen had "purred down the line" when he informed her of the result. Cameron admitted he was "very embarrassed" for revealing the Queen's political view, which she had guarded in her own comments.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Domestic reaction
Alex Salmond, the Scottish First Minister and leader of the SNP, stated that he accepted the "verdict of the people" and called upon "all Scots to follow suit in accepting the democratic verdict of the people of Scotland". He called the referendum a "triumph for the democratic process and for participation in politics". He also resigned as SNP leader and as First Minister, saying that "for me as leader my time is nearly over but for Scotland the campaign continues and the dream shall never die".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Domestic reaction
Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones responded positively to the result. Robinson was "delighted Scotland has voted to remain in the Union".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
There was a large international reaction to the results of the Scottish independence referendum. The White House congratulated Scotland on their "full and energetic exercise of democracy". President Barack Obama noted the "debate, discussion, and passionate yet peaceful deliberations" and welcomed the result, saying he looked forward to "continuing our strong and special relationship with all the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
John Baird, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, welcomed the decision and praised the conduct of the referendum. The Premier of Quebec, Philippe Couillard, said that there were limited comparisons between Scotland and Quebec, where the sovereignty movement lost referendums in 1980 and 1995, and suggested a devolved model similar to federalism as a possible future model for the UK: "I think that if the Scots had what we have, Quebecers within Canada, they probably would be quite happy". Stéphane Bédard, leader of the Parti Québécois, described himself as "disappointed" by the result.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, said that, "We [the German government] have always respected the fact that this referendum was called and that the central government in London agreed to this. And now we respect the outcome of it as well". When asked how she felt about the result she replied "I will not comment on this but just smile".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy, released a statement saying that "The Italian government, also in its capacity as duty president of the EU, hails the result of the vote democratically expressed by the Scottish people," he later sent a message to David Cameron where he said that Scotland "recognised and appreciated diversity" without "fragmenting".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
Ireland's Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, stated that the Irish government would respect the "democratic decision that Scotland should remain as part of the United Kingdom", he went on to say how "As neighbours, friends and partners across political, economic, cultural and many other spheres, relations between Ireland and Britain have never been stronger. We look forward to working with all parties across these islands in the years ahead. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 is the historic template for harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands. In particular, it has led to a transformation in relationships between the two great traditions on this island".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
In a press release following the referendum, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: "It is an understandable and logical desire of the Scottish people for the central authorities to guarantee respect for their national and cultural identity, language and traditions and also give them more independence to take decisions on Scotland's socio-economic development and its standing in the united state. We have noted that the UK government has extended concrete promises in this regard. We believe that these factors are extremely important not only for Scotland but also in the general context of devolution processes".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
Facing the result of the referendum, Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, stated to Norwegian broadcaster NRK she was 'glad' Scotland chose to remain in the union and that Scottish independence could have become challenging for Norway as a neighbouring country.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, in a video message, said that the Scottish have avoided serious consequences and "have chosen the most favourable option for everyone; for themselves, for all of Britain and for the rest of Europe". Iñigo Urkullu, the President of the Basque Country, stated on the day of the referendum that as the British Government had allowed Scotland to freely decide its own future, the responsibility of the Basque government was to "follow Scotland's footsteps" in securing a similar agreement in Spain.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
Artur Mas, President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, described the referendum as a model for a future vote in the Catalonia, and said "What happened in Scotland is not a setback for us, because what we really want in Catalonia is to have the chance to vote". On the day after the Scottish referendum, the Catalan parliament voted to hold a "popular consultation" on Catalan independence. The Spanish government said that such a vote would be unconstitutional, but a referendum was held on 9 November 2014 anyway. The large majority (80%) voted for Catalonia to be an independent country, although two-thirds of Catalans did not participate in the referendum.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, International reaction
Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he fully respected "the choice that the people of Scotland have made". President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso said the Scottish vote was good for a "united, open and stronger Europe".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Allegations of voting irregularities
Ten voters discovered that someone had voted under their names at polling stations in Glasgow, a method of fraud termed 'personation', and this led to an investigation by Police Scotland.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Allegations of voting irregularities
During a BBC results broadcast, Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson said that "No" campaigners had been "taking tallies" of postal votes and that those showed that the "No" campaign was in the lead. This resulted in complaints to the Electoral Commission because the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 stated that people attending proceedings related to the receipt of postal votes must not attempt to ascertain the outcome or "communicate any information" from that voting. The Electoral Commission, who could not investigate criminal allegations, passed the complaints onto Police Scotland. A formal investigation was subsequently opened, which concluded that there was no criminality.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Allegations of voting irregularities
According to official Russian observers, the conditions under which the votes were counted were not up to international standards and that the procedure used made it impossible to check on irregularities. Russia's criticism came just months after the international community had rejected the results of a Kremlin-backed referendum held in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Russian officials said that the strong performance of the Scottish National Party (SNP) at the 2015 UK general election confirmed their suspicions about the Scottish independence referendum.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Allegations of voting irregularities
A petition demanding a second referendum, based on allegations of vote miscounting, gained more than 70,000 signatures within 24 hours. The petitioners referred to news footage that they claim showed unusual emptying of the boxes, a vote-counter placing Yes-votes between No-votes, an official filling in ballot papers, and Yes-votes on top of stacks placed on No-votes sorting tables, as well as two false fire-alarms and subsequent evacuation of the counting centre in Dundee. In response, Chief Counting Officer Mary Pitcaithly declared that the referendum had been "properly conducted".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Allegations of voting irregularities
An official spokesperson reiterated this point, saying that they were "satisfied that all counts throughout Scotland were properly conducted" and that incidents in the footage could be "easily explained" and were being presented as a "'conspiracy' theory". Douglas Daniel, a monitoring agent for the pro-independence Wings Over Scotland website, noted that "as with most conspiracy theories, this is largely down to people not understanding what they're seeing" and "trying to fix the count would require pretty much every single member of the counting staff to be in on the scam".


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Violence in Glasgow
On the night of 19 September, hundreds of unionists arrived to celebrate the 'No' vote and some attacked independence supporters who had gathered in George Square, Glasgow. Many of the unionists waved Union Jacks or loyalist flags and chanted "Rule, Britannia!" Some appeared to make Nazi salutes and shouted racist abuse. Police officers were drafted in to separate the groups but some unionists broke through police lines. A number of people were reportedly beaten and bottles were thrown. A press photographer told The Scotsman he saw people being "kicked about" and was forced to flee after being threatened. By the end of the following month, the police had made 32 arrests in relation to the events. The violence was condemned by politicians from both the 'Yes' and 'No' camps.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Increase in political activism
In the weeks following the referendum, thousands of people joined the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Greens or the Scottish Socialist Party, which had all campaigned for a 'Yes' vote. The parties claimed that many of the new members were former Scottish Labour Party members. By 2 October 2014, SNP membership had tripled from 25,000 to 75,000 people, overtaking the Liberal Democrats as the third-largest political party in the UK. Conservative MP David Mundell said that 80,000 people had signed up to their "Friends of the Union" group during the campaign. These people had not necessarily become full members of the Conservative Party because they were not focused on increasing the number of "card-carrying" members.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Increase in political activism
Following the referendum, there were calls for greater unity within Scottish unionism and to vote tactically against nationalist candidates. A grassroots campaign called "Scotland in Union" aimed to encourage tactical voting at the 2015 UK general election and to publicise the benefits of Scotland being a part of the United Kingdom. Analysis by the Electoral Reform Society prior to the 2015 general election identified some constituencies where tactical voting could succeed, but also pointed out that many voters would find it difficult to support another political party. Writing after the election, Professor John Curtice said that in only one constituency, (Edinburgh South); could it be said that tactical voting succeeded in defeating an SNP candidate.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Further devolution
Two days before the referendum, the leaders of the three main UK political parties publicly pledged to devolve "extensive new powers" to the Scottish Parliament. They also agreed to a timetable proposed by Gordon Brown. In his speech responding to the referendum results, David Cameron said that an all-party commission, chaired by Lord Smith of Kelvin, would oversee the implementation of the new powers. Cameron also called for an answer to the West Lothian question, by removing the right of Scottish MPs to vote on legislation relating only to England. This proposal was opposed by Gordon Brown, who signed a petition calling for the additional powers to be devolved without any other conditions being attached.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Further devolution
The proposals were debated at length by the UK and Scottish parliaments. The bill devolving further powers to Scotland was approved unanimously by the Scottish Parliament in March 2016.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Political developments
After the referendum, the SNP took a clear lead over the other parties in Scottish opinion polls. In the 2015 United Kingdom general election, the SNP received 1,454,436 votes, 50.0% of the Scottish vote and 56 out of the 59 Scottish seats contested in the election. Labour lost forty of their forty-one seats and the Liberal Democrats lost ten of their eleven seats – all to the SNP. The SNP replaced the Liberal Democrats as the third largest party in the House of Commons.


2014 Scottish independence referendum, Reactions to the result, Political developments
As the Conservatives won an overall majority in the 2015 UK general election, a UK-wide referendum on European Union membership was held in June 2016. An overall majority of the UK voted to leave the EU (for "Brexit"), while all of Scotland's council areas voted to remain in the EU. Shortly afterwards, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to prepare legislation for a second independence referendum. In the June 2017 UK general election, the first major electoral test after the EU referendum, the SNP won 35 of the 59 Scottish seats in the House of Commons. This represented a drop of 21 seats from 2015, with the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats all making gains. Those results were largely reversed in the December 2019 UK general election, as the SNP won 48 seats and the Conservatives and Labour both made net losses.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal
The 2014 Se og Hør media scandal (Danish: Se og Hør-sagen), also known as the Nets-scandal (Danish: Nets-skandalen) or the hush-hush scandal (Danish: tys-tys-skandalen), was a media and IT surveillance scandal in Denmark that broke in 2014. An IT professional employed at IBM leaked sensitive personal data from the Nordic payment services company Nets to the Danish gossip magazine Se og Hør, which allowed the magazine to obtain information on celebrities' and other individuals' use of credit cards.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal
The scandal came to public attention late in April 2014 after the publication (in Denmark) of the journalist and author Ken B. Rasmussen's roman à clef Livet, det forbanede (English: Life, the damned). A large number of organisations and media groups were ultimately involved, including Nets, IBM, Nordea, Fujitsu, SAS, Naviair, Rigshospsitalet, the Danish armed forces, TV 2, Ekstra Bladet, and Aller Media with their magazines Billed-Bladet and Se og Hør.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Background
Se og Hør, which is published weekly, has long carried revealing stories about celebrities. The magazine had previously had "an amicable relationship with the famous", where subjects could prevent the publication of negative stories about themselves. This attitude is perceived to have changed with the appointment of Henrik Qvortrup as editor-in-chief, with Ken B. Rasmussen commenting that "we had no ethical standards that had to be upheld as a matter of life and death". Qvortrup introduced a monetary reward for members of the public who phoned the magazine with tip-offs that lead to published stories. The magazine's owner, Aller Media, would pay up to DKK 10,000 cash-in-hand to sources.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
In 2007, Nets outsourced the maintenance of their central IT systems to IBM, which included the transfer of 71 workers. Se og Hør's so-called hush-hush source is believed to have been amongst the transferred workers. The surveillance of celebrities by this source is believed to have begun in 2008. According to investigations in the media, the source received a text message whenever a tracked celebrity used their credit card. The message was possibly sent automatically and could be received by the source at home. Soon after, the source would forward the text to journalists at Se og Hør.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
This may have been repeated several times a day. The source was apparently unable to add names to the list of tracked celebrities freely; only at certain times could the list be expanded with the names of new persons, after which they would also be under surveillance. Journalists at Se og Hør could suggest new names to the source, which was referred to internally as "bidding".


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
It was initially uncertain how the surveillance was technically accomplished, but the programmer and IT-blogger Poul-Henning Kamp made the educated guess that it involved an existing "trace" facility in the Nets credit card handling system. Under normal circumstances, this system was only available to police with a court order to track wanted criminals. Kamp suggested that the system involved a real-time SMS service sending text messages directly to the police, which would reduce the paperwork burden for both the police and Nets.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
It remains unclear whether either of Nets or IBM had a functioning Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system monitoring their credit card infrastructure. However, IT experts concluded that there was evidence for the absence of a competent system and commented that such a system should have detected the irregularities. During proceedings at Østre Landsret in July 2014 and at the Supreme Court in December 2014, the prosecutor presented their understanding of how it was possible for the source to obtain sensitive data. According to state barrister Mohammad Ahsan, the source had access to data about card transactions but not associated names. Ahsan further commented that it would have been possible to match names to transactions by the source resetting colleagues' passwords and then logging in via their accounts.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
According to Ken B. Rasmussen, "anyone with even the slightest reputation" was under surveillance. As well as celebrities, this included murder suspects and accident victims. At least 86 people had personal information about them leaked by the source. High-profile victims included Prince Joachim, the comedian Casper Christensen, and the TV host Line Baun Danielsen. In Prince Joachim's case, the surveillance allowed Se og Hør to locate the Prince and Princess Marie on their otherwise secret honeymoon to Canada following their marriage in May 2008. Baun Danielsen's payment at a private hospital was leaked.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
The former professional cyclist Bo Hamburger (who had previously attended school with the alleged source) was also a victim. The magazine debated whether credit card transactions detailing the politician Morten Helveg Petersen's travel around Europe by plane, including hotel bookings in Rome, were sufficient grounds for a story. These leaks by the source did lead to Rasmussen writing a story for the magazine in 2008 titled Morten Helveg Petersen: Kærlighedsferie betalt af skatteyderne (English: Morten Helveg Petersen: Love holiday funded by taxpayers), which used the leaks to detail Helveg Petersen's personal relationship with Baun Danielsen during an official NATO meeting.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
At the time, Helveg Petersen demanded a retraction of the story and bought the case before the Danish Press Council, where he lost in October 2008. Several individuals under the protection of PET were also affected: former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen had his card transactions leaked, while Pia Kjærsgaard and her husband Henrik Thorup additionally had their CPR numbers and secret home address leaked.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
In Spring 2010, PwC carried out an inspection of IBM's running of Nets' NemID. The report highlighted several problems with access and credential handling. It is unknown when Nets and IBM were last inspected by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority; no publicly released inspections have occurred since 2010, and inspections were not publicised before that date.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
According to Ken B. Rasmussen's novel, the source received DKK 10,000 per month, for a total payment of DKK 310,000 over the course of the surveillance. The source was also provided with access to concerts through Se og Hør''s press credentials, including to the TV 2 event Top Charlie. They attended an after-party with guests including Keld and Hilda Heick.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
At least 16 employees at Se og Hør, including the editors-in-chief Henrik Qvortrup and Kim Henningsen, were aware of the source's existence. Additionally, the parent company Aller Media's management were aware. In emails from 2011, the Aller Media publishing director Per Ingdal acknowledged awareness of the source from 2009 and instructed Henningsen to cease working with the source. A separate email implicated creative editor Steffen Sørensen and photo editor Peter Grosen in the case. However, according to Se og Hør journalist Kasper Kopping, the source was further used until the then news manager Lise Bondesen ordered a complete stop in Autumn 2011. Ken B. Rasmussen left the magazine in 2012.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
The photographer Michael Medgyesi, who worked as a freelance photographer at Se og Hør, warned Nets as early as 18 January 2013 that journalists at the magazine had access to sensitive credit card transactions. Nets initiated an investigation as a result but found nothing. Medgysei had also previously (in 2011) contacted PET regarding the unlawful access. At the time, PET called a meeting but found no justification to continue investigating. Medgysei's suspicions were initially aroused by three overseas photo assignments in 2008 and 2009, where he was given information by the magazine on the locations of Janni Spies, Anni Fønsby, Stein Bagger's daughter, and Bagger's partner Annete Uttenthal.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
The source had authorised access to the NemID system as part of their work, and logged on to this at least once. Additionally the source had FE security clearance to work with the Danish armed forces' IT system DeMars, which had been outsourced to IBM in 2010. One of the source's department's responsibilities was to monitor DeMars. The armed forces found no evidence that the source misused access to the system.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, The surveillance
Following their employment at IBM, the source consulted for Fujitsu. This included work for Fujitsu's client Nordea immediately up to the breaking of the scandal. At Nordea, the source had access to internal monitoring systems and performed maintenance on them if they stopped working. Nordea felt satisfied that the source did not leak personal information using their access there.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal
Ken B. Rasmussen's roman à clef was scheduled for release on 29 April 2014. However, a few days prior to this, BT broke the scandal after finding documentation for the parts of the book based on fact. The then former Se og Hør journalist Kenth G. Madsen confirmed to BT that the magazine had a source for credit card transactions, which was later corroborated by the then current Se og Hør journalist Kasper Kopping.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal
The scandal drew large coverage in the media. Even the royal household issued a statement, calling it "an especially serious case". Rasmus Mark Pedersen, the Director of Journalists for the Danish Union of Journalists, was "completely shocked" and believed the scandal was "without equal the worst case in the history of Danish press". The victim Pia Kjærsgaard described the surveillance as "incredibly uncomfortable", while the additionally monitored Morten Helveg Petersen felt it was "crossing a line", "wildly uncomfortable" and "extremely offensive". He also compared Se og Hør's actions to "pure Stasi methods".


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal
IBM called it "a very serious case" and wrote in an announcement that it would carry out a "complete investigation". Following this, it followed a policy of very sparse communication regarding the scandal.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal
Se og Hør's former chief editor Henrik Qvortrup initially denied any knowledge of the case. However, a few days after the breaking of the scandal he resigned as a political commentator for TV 2, and shortly after that BT published emails that implicated Qvortrup in the surveillance program.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal
On 1 May 2014, Se og Hør opted to suspend and send home (with full pay) 7 employees that were seemingly involved in the surveillance. Additionally, Billed-Bladet suspended two of their employees, including an editor-in-chief. This was after it was revealed that the employees had, under previous employment at Se og Hør, received emails about the source. Ekstra Bladet suspended their editor-in-chief Lise Bondesen for the same reason. While suspended, Bondesen wrote an article in Ekstra Bladet giving her version of events, and she resigned on 2 May 2014.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal
On 19 June 2014, Ekstra Bladet revealed that the so-called hush-hush source was Peter Bo Henriksen, who had confirmed his identity to the police. He subsequently demanded anonymity but this was rejected by the judge at Retten i Glostrup with reference to "the circumstances surrounding the charge's severity and the very significant media coverage of, and public interest in, the case about Se og Hør".


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal
Aller Media had not reported their editorial database to the Danish Data Protection Agency and were therefore possibly not protected by press data protection laws. This could have meant that individuals registered in the database has a right to obtain the information held about them. Politiken reported that the victim Casper Christensen considered using this to force Aller to release his data.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal, Further fallout
Complementing the hush-hush source revelations, a previous employee at Nets described how customer service team members had, without additional training or checks, complete access to all customer data from their very first working day. The employee felt that there was insufficient monitoring to prevent misuse and commented:


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal, Further fallout
It was normal to look at what ex-partners and celebrities were using their cards for. Or to see if your partner that had supposedly quit smoking had been to the shops to buy cigarettes anyway. If your friends were out on the town, you could see where they were.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal, Further fallout
For a short period prior to the scandal, Nets had outsourced their customer service department to Aditro. A former Aditro employee noted that the external workers had also had full access to Nets' payment information.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal, Further fallout
The media revealed further leaks of sensitive data from companies other than Nets and IBM. Employees at Se og Hør stated that the magazine used a paid source at the airline SAS. Naviair discovered that an employee leaked information about a royal household flight to the magazine. Several former Se og Hør employees stated that the magazine had a source at Rigshospitalet that provided information about celebrities' maternity ultrasound scans, including those of Anders Lund Madsen's pregnant partner. The pair sued the magazine and were awarded DKK 100,000 in compensation.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal, Further fallout
According to the hospital, Se og Hør's editor-in-chief denied that any of the hospital's employees had received payment from, or leaked information to, the magazine. After an internal investigation, the hospital concluded that the leak had probably occurred via a third party. The singer Rasmus Nøhr described an experience following his searching by police that he believed could indicate leaks from the police to Se og Hør. Henrik Qvortrup told the police that the magazine had sources at the police, the army, Copenhagen Airport's control tower, and amongst nurses.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal, Further fallout
Several then-current and -former Se og Hør employees additionally described how, prior to October 2003, the magazine had plans to purchase bugging and listening equipment. This would have been used to access Prince Frederik's telephone but Qvortrup insisted that the plans were abandoned. Casper Christensen also described how magazine employees pretended to be house buyers or family members in order to photograph celebrities' houses.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Breaking of the scandal, Further fallout
In 2009, several years before the scandal, the former Se og Hør employee Peter Kaae published his book I sandhedens tjeneste (English: In the service of truth). This revealed that the magazine had a source at a telecommunications firm, who was used in 1996 for stories about the professional cyclist Bjarne Riis and the handball player Anne Dorthe Tanderup. The magazine had also received a CD containing private telephone messages between the politicians Mariann Fischer Boel and Ivar Hansen. It quickly became apparent that the magazine had used illegally collected sensitive data over a large time period prior to the scandal.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Investigation and inquiries
The police investigated the case. Nets headquarters are located in Ballerup and as such the responsible department was Copenhagen's Vestegns Politi. In the days immediately following the breaking of the scandal, the police visited both IBM and Nets to investigate whether any offences had been committed. However, they were unable to determine whether a crime had taken place. IT equipment was seized from Aller Media, which led the organisation to fear that the police would identify other sources that had been used by its child publications throughout the years.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Investigation and inquiries
The police interviewed Ken B. Rasmussen under the same procedures as if he were a suspect. Morten Helveg Petersen, then Det Radikale Venstre's candidate for the European Parliament, additionally reported Aller Media to the police. A number of other celebrities that had allegedly been monitored also made police reports via the lawyer Brian Werner Larsen. These initially included Casper Christensen, the actor Mads Mikkelsen, Iben Hjejle, Pell Hevnegaard, and Rigmor Zobel and her husband Jesper Ravn. The Norwegian Lene Nystrøm later joined the group represented by Larsen.


2014 Se og Hør media scandal, Investigation and inquiries
A problem of principle regarding the police's conduct arose when computers, telephones, and other equipment were seized from Aller Media; these could have contained information relevant to the investigation but could also reveal the identities of press sources unrelated to the case. Aller Media argued to the court (Retten i Glostrup) that by seizing items, the police were violating source protection. On 17 June 2014, the court ruled that the police could examine the material, which Aller Media responded to by appealing to the Landsret (high court).