The Scottish Government's White Paper on independence stated that "It is the view of the current Scottish Government that a referendum is a once-in-a-generation opportunity", a point reiterated a few days before the vote by the SNP's then-leader, Alex Salmond, noting the eighteen-year gap between the devolution referendums held in 1979 and in 1997 as an example of the generational opportunity. Three months later, Salmond reversed the position, highlighting the UK's EU referendum as a factor. The UK Government had also portrayed the independence referendum as once-in-a-generation and Nicola Sturgeon described it as a "once in a lifetime opportunity".