Women for Independence is a

grass-roots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

political organisation A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in politica ...

which seeks to improve the representation of women in public and political life throughout

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Founded in 2012, the movement promotes the causes of Scottish independence and other constitutional changes they consider likely to contribute to greater democracy, gender equality and social justice. The organisation's full name is Women for Independence – Independence for Women.

History

The group was established in August 2012, with the aim of ensuring women's voices and interests were given fair consideration leading up to the Scottish independence referendum. It was formed with the support of

Jeane Freeman Jeane Tennent Freeman (born 28 September 1953) is a Scottish former politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was the Member of the Scottish Parli ...

, who was a key member of the team of former First Minister,

Jack McConnell Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, (born 30 June 1960) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2001 to 2007. McConnell served as the Minister ...

, while he was leading the Scottish Parliament on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party. Former Scottish Socialist Party MSPs Carolyn Leckie and Rosie Kane backed the foundation of the group. The group's creation was welcomed by

Yes Scotland Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ''Yes'' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It was launched on 25 May 2012 and dissolved in late 2014 after Scotland voted ...

and by the Scottish Government's Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. Women were a particularly important demographic in the

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

due to an increasingly large gender gap in opinion polling. In March 2013, a poll showed that while 47% of men supported independence, only 25% of women did; this gap had grown by seven points on the January beforehand. Ivor Knox, the director of Panelbase, said at the time that the poll showed a gender gap that "appears to be greater than ever, particularly among younger voters". By September 2014 there are more than forty local groups.

Post-referendum

Women for Independence have continued campaigning since the referendum, hosting a conference in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

on 4 October 2014 to discuss the future of the organisation. The conference venue had to be changed several times to accommodate a larger crowd, and was eventually attended by 1,000 delegates. The group's first formal AGM took place in Perth on 14 March 2015 to ratify the new constitution and elect a National Committee. The AGM also voted to consider the creation of a Women’s Party if existing parties don't "act on gender equality".

Fraud case

In November 2015, Women for Independence informed their members that they had called in the police after they found a 'discrepancy' between donation income and expenditure in their accounts. It was reported that tens of thousands of pounds had gone missing. In September 2016, MP

Natalie McGarry Natalie McGarry (born 7 September 1981) is a Scottish former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow East from 2015 to 2017. She was elected as a Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate in the 2015 general election b ...

, who had been the organisation's treasurer, was charged with offences relating to fraud. McGarry's trial began on 22 April 2019. On 24 April, she pleaded guilty to two charges of embezzlement including £21,000 from Women for Independence. On 1 May she attempted to withdraw her two guilty pleas, but the sheriff ruled that this was not possible. Her case was adjourned to June.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2012 establishments in Scotland 2012 in British politics Organizations established in 2012 Political campaigns in the United Kingdom Scottish independence Women in Scotland