In the space of less than a year, from September 2015 to May 2015, the Scottish people spoke twice on their political future, but the two messages seemed hard to square.

If the referendum outcome was a clear-cut ‘No’, the general election result was a resounding victory for the party of ‘Yes’.

Contradictions abounded and clearly a wide range of considerations informed the electoral choices people made. While dissatisfaction with Westminster and a collapse of trust in representation were key driving forces, what else lay behind the seismic shifts?

The speakers were:

• Oliver Escobar: Co-director of What Works Scotland, lecturer in public policy at the University of Edinburgh
• Liam Murray: Founder and owner of We Are Flat Five, a boutique management consultancy
• Stuart Waiton: Lecturer in sociology and criminology at Abertay University, author of Snobs’ Law: criminalising football fans in an age of intolerance.

The chair was Craig Fairnington, Associate Fellow, Institute of Ideas

Date: 29 October 2015

Location: Glasgow School of Art, Renfrew St, Glasgow