Why Scottish women are coming round to independence

WITH THE possible exception of William Wallace, the best-known Scottish nationalist was, for a while, a woman. In 1967, Winifred Ewing, “a slight, blonde woman in a purple coat” in the words of one newspaper, became only the second Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate to be elected to Westminster. (The first, Robert McIntyre, only lasted three months.) When she arrived at Parliament, policemen escorted her through a crowd of supporters waving saltires. She soon became known as “Madame Ecosse”.

By the time Scotland got its say on independence, in the referendum of 2014, the cause had become a rather more male affair. Nicola Sturgeon, whom Mrs Ewing mentored, played second fiddle to Alex Salmond, then the first minister and party leader. The campaign was, in the words of a female nationalist, “dominated by shouty men”. And male supporters of independence outnumbered female ones. A narrow majority of men (51%) and only 42% of women voted for independence, according to YouGov. “The women’s vote effectively lost the referendum,” says Elaine C. Smith, a comedian and nationalist campaigner.