THE Scottish independence referendum results were announced in the early hours of Friday September 19 2014. Labour Party conference in Manchester that year started on Sunday September 21. 

To have a Red Paper Collective magazine available for the Monday it was necessary to have two versions of the cover and editorial ready to go to a printer in Manchester immediately the results were announced.

One cover version had Britain held together by a safety pin, the other had the safety pin open and Scotland slipping out. In the days before the referendum it had been impossible to predict which cover we would be using. What was clear was that it would require more than a safety pin to secure the allegiance of a large number of Scots to remain within the UK.