By a Newsnet reporter 
Card carrying membership and online support for the SNP has soared to an unprecedented high as Scotland’s referendum captures the imagination of the people of Scotland.
The party has attracted almost 1,600 new members – an increase of 8% – in the three weeks since Tory PM David Cameron’s intervention into the independence referendum debate.
On 25 Jan – the day Alex Salmond announced the Your Scotland Your Referendum consultation at Edinburgh Castle, which included the wording of the referendum question – 46,684 online visitors logged onto snp.org.
Demand and interest from around the globe meant that server memory had to be doubled to cope.
Online followers have increased by an average 25% in those 18 days and the @AlexSalmond twitter feed has gained 1,800 followers in the last week alone.
SNP Business Convener Derek MacKay MSP welcomed the huge support the party had received from the public.
He said:
“The incredibly positive reaction of the people of Scotland to the events of the last few weeks has been simply phenomenal.
“We have been overwhelmed with support from the people of Scotland over the last few weeks and days. Membership has increased by 8% and staff at party HQ have been working late into the night to get all the new membership cards sent out.
“At the end of December we reached 20,000 members and that is continuing to grow.
“And with over 46,000 visits to the website on Burns Day the appetite for information about the referendum and the SNP’s vision of independence shows how engaged the people of Scotland are with this debate.
“No one cares more about Scotland’s success than the people of Scotland. That’s why they’ve responded in such huge numbers as they believe the decisions over our country’s future should be taken by people in Scotland.”
[Newsnet Scotland has also experienced a significant increase in site visits, with daily visitor numbers up by around 40%. This month will see Newsnet Scotland break through the 70,000 unique monthly visitor total for the first time.]
