Alex Salmond was ready to declare a "new and unbreakable relationship" with the British isles if Scotland had voted Yes to independence in a prepared victory speech that he would never deliver.
The former first minister, who delivered a resignation speech rather than a victory speech on September 19 2014, would have declared that Scotland was "a nation reborn".
The text of Mr Salmond's prepared speech has been given to James Mitchell, professor of public policy at Edinburgh University's Academy of Government, for future research.
It has been published in The Scottish Sun ahead of the first anniversary of the vote on Friday, with the SNP still riding high from its reversal of fortune from referendum losers to landslide Scottish winners of the general election in May.
Mr Salmond would have pledged "to work constructively and positively to implement the will of the people" after a Yes vote and extend "an immediate hand of friendship" to No voters.
Instead, Prime Minister David Cameron rose to the victory podium and immediately pledged to deliver English votes for English laws in tandem with Scottish devolution, triggering Scottish Government complaints about the allegedly broken "vow" of a swift and extensive transfer of power to Holyrood and wrangling over the scope of the current Scotland Bill.
Current SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will now outline the circumstances for another independence referendum in her forthcoming 2016 Scottish election manifesto.
Mr Salmond would have declared that Scotland would remain "a constructive and progressive member of the international community", and "a fully engaged participant in the European Union".
However, many of these arguments were far from settled on the eve of the referendum, with alliances such as the European Union (EU) and Nato refusing to definitively say whether they would admit an independent Scotland ahead of the vote.
The Conservatives' subsequent general election majority in May has set the stage for an in/out referendum on the UK's membership of the EU, with a vote to leave against the majority will of the Scottish people seen as the most pressing trigger for another independence referendum.
Mr Salmond's prepared speech stated: "We are One nation. One Scotland. Let us shape the future together.
"This campaign reclaimed from politicians and parties the monopoly of power and decision-making.
"This must be the start of new politics - a time when the voices of the many will be heard.
"A time when the dispossessed and the forgotten assert their rights as citizens. A time of empowerment and participation.
"To our friends and families across these isles waking to our new democracy, we say this; Know that, in Scotland, you will always have your closest friend, greatest ally and most steadfast partner.
"Independence is about equality and mutual respect. Those principles will define our new and unbreakable relationship.
"I have just spoken with the Prime Minister.
"This morning, we renewed our joint commitment under the Edinburgh Agreement to work constructively and positively to implement the will of the people."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel