Protesters march for Scottish independence in Glasgow.
Photographer: Emily Macinnes / Bloomberg
Photographer: Emily Macinnes / Bloomberg
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she remains committed to a legal referendum on independence after her party draws up a plan of action if the British government continues to refuse to grant one.
The leader of the Scottish National Party said that if the party won the regional election in Scotland in May, the UK’s position would be untenable as voters would demand the right to make a decision on the country’s future. In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, she said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was ‘afraid of democracy’.
“I want a legitimate referendum, this is what I am going to seek the authority of the Scottish people for,” Sturgeon said when asked if her government in Edinburgh would unilaterally hold an opinion. ‘And if they give me the authority, that’s what I intend to do. To have a legal referendum to give people in Scotland the right to vote. ”
The SNP set out a roadmap for a referendum this weekend after the coronavirus pandemic is over, an increase in the stance with the government in London that will weigh politics in the UK after its departure from the European Union. The Scottish Government, led by the SNP for 14 years, is against Brexit and Scotland voted against it in 2016.
Critical voice
The Scot election – which, according to Sturgeon, is expected to proceed according to schedule – is being held as a vote on the right to another independence referendum and Johnson’s conservatives are increasing worried about how to tackle it. Polls show the SNP is on track to win a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament, and Sturgeon has vowed to hold a House of Commons in the “early part” of the next parliamentary session.
The SNPs The 11-point plan stipulates that each new vote must be ‘outside legal challenge’. But the document opens up the possibility that the Scottish Parliament could once again hold a referendum to force Westminster to then block it in the courts.
Johnson dismissed the calls for a referendum on separation, arguing that a referendum in 2014, in which Scots voted to stay in the UK with 55% to 45%, would settle the matter in the foreseeable future. The vote was held after then-Prime Minister David Cameron issued an order transferring the necessary powers to Edinburgh.
Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said it was not the time for a referendum, and the SNP should focus on improving Scotland’s economy, education and healthcare systems.
“People across Scotland want the focus to be on recovery and not on referendum,” Ross told Times Radio on Sunday. “I do not believe there should be another referendum.”
Opinion polls consistently show more support for the breakaway of the rest of the UK after Brexit. A panel-based survey published in the Sunday Times shows support for independence leading the trade union camp 49% to 44%, with 7% undecided. The survey suggests that the independence movement will benefit if Johnson remains prime minister.
Salmond investigation
Sturgeon is reluctant to continue with any voice that will not hold to international law. She has also encountered some other political winds, such as ensuring that the vaccination of Scotland does not lag behind, getting children back into schools and an increase in deaths related to drug abuse.
Read more: Vaccination pledge raises Scottish leader’s election concerns
There is also an ongoing investigation into the handling of a harassment case against her predecessor Alex Salmond that is becoming increasingly creepy. Sturgeon will appear before a committee hearing in the coming weeks. The issue has already proved divisive for her party.
Salmond was acquitted by a court in March of sexually assaulting women during his tenure. In her BBC interview, Sturgeon said she did not mislead parliament about the harassment. “I did not cooperate with Alex Salmond and did not conspire against him,” she said.
Meanwhile, the dominant theme in Scotland remains the right to hold a referendum on leaving the three-century-old union with England and Wales.
Separately, a judge is considering a case funded by a Scottish independence fighter by crowd, to determine whether the parliament in Edinburgh already has the legal means to vote without British approval. Judge Ailsa Carmichael said on Friday she would make a ‘very quick’ decision and accept or reject the application – or choose not to give an opinion.
– With help by Joe Mayes
(Updates with Douglas Ross comment in the eighth paragraph.)