ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by examining the history of referendums in the United Kingdom. Previous referendums involved cooperation between parties and groups but little suggestion of unusual voter engagement or grassroots activity. The chapter then provides a detailed account of the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, which engaged voters in remarkable ways, and of the surge in SNP and Scottish Green membership that followed the vote, examining exactly how and when this occurred. This is placed in the context of party membership before and since 2014, comparing the SNP and Scottish Greens to other parties in Scotland and the United Kingdom. The chapter demonstrates that the post-referendum membership surge had unique qualities.
