Protesters march for Scotland’s independence in Glasgow.
Photographer: Emily Macinnes / Bloomberg
Photographer: Emily Macinnes / Bloomberg
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she remains committed to a legal referendum on independence after her party has established an action plan should the UK government continue to refuse to grant it.
The Scottish National Party leader said that if the party wins Scotland’s May regional elections, the UK’s position will be unsustainable because voters will have demanded 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 to have a legal referendum, that’s what I’m going to ask the authority of the Scottish people for,” said Sturgeon when asked if his government in Edinburgh would unilaterally hold an advisory. “And if they give me that authority, that is what I intend to do. Have a legal referendum to give people in Scotland the right to choose ”.
The SNP drew up a roadmap this weekend for a referendum following the end of the coronavirus pandemic, an escalation of a stalemate with the London government that is likely to weigh on UK policy after its departure from the European Union. The Scottish government, led by the SNP for 14 years, opposes Brexit, and Scotland voted against it in 2016.
Critical Vote
The scotsman the election – which Sturgeon said he still hopes to go ahead as scheduled – is being framed as a vote on the right to another independence referendum and Johnson’s conservatives are increasingly concerned with how to deal with it. Research shows that the SNP is on track to win a majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament, and Sturgeon has promised to hold a referendum in the “first part” of the next parliamentary session.
The SNP’s The 11-point plan states that any new vote must be “beyond legal challenge”. But the document leaves open the possibility for the Scottish Parliament to support a referendum to force Westminster to block it in the courts.
Johnson rejected requests for a vote on the split, arguing that a 2014 referendum, in which Scots voted to stay in the UK by 55% to 45%, had resolved the issue in the foreseeable future. That vote came after Prime Minister David Cameron granted an order that transferred the necessary powers to Edinburgh.
Douglas Ross, leader of Scottish Conservatives, said that now is not the time for a referendum, and that the SNP should focus on improving Scotland’s economy, education and health systems.
“People across Scotland want the focus to be on recovery, not referenda,” Ross said on Times Radio on Sunday. “I don’t believe there should be another referendum.”
Opinion polls now consistently show greater support for separating from the rest of the UK after Brexit. A Panelbase poll published in the Sunday Times shows support for independence leading the union camp by 49% to 44%, with 7% undecided. The research suggests that the independence movement will benefit if Johnson remains as prime minister.
Salmond Inquiry
Sturgeon is reluctant to move forward with any vote that would not be worth up until international law. It also faces other political obstacles, such as ensuring that vaccine distribution in Scotland is not left behind, bringing children back to schools and an increase in the number of drug-related deaths.
Read more: Vaccine Promise Increases Election Holdings for Scottish Leader
There is also an ongoing investigation into how his government is handling a harassment case against his predecessor Alex Salmond, who is becoming increasingly bitter. Sturgeon will face a committee hearing in the coming weeks. The issue has already proved divisive for his party.
Salmond was acquitted by a court in March of sexually assaulting women during his tenure. In his BBC interview, Sturgeon said he did not mislead parliament about allegations of harassment. “I was not conniving with Alex Salmond and I did not plot against him,” she said.
Meanwhile, the dominant theme in Scotland remains the right to hold a referendum on the end of the three-century union with England and Wales.
Separately, a judge is considering a crowdfunding case presented by a Scottish independence activist to establish whether the parliament in Edinburgh already has the legal means to call a vote without UK approval. Judge Ailsa Carmichael said on Friday that she will make a “very quick” decision and either accept or reject the request – or choose not to give an opinion.
– With the help of Joe Mayes
(Updates with commentary by Douglas Ross in the eighth paragraph.)