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 set out an action plan if the British government continues to refuse to grant it.
The leader of the Scottish National Party said that if the party won the regional elections in May in Scotland, the UK’s position would be unbearable, as voters would be asked to make a decision on the country’s future. In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, she said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “scared of democracy”.
“I want to have a legal referendum, so I will seek the authority of the Scottish people,” Sturgeon said when asked if his Edinburgh administration would unilaterally hold a consultative one. “And if I give myself this authority, that’s what I intend to do. To have a legal referendum to give the people of Scotland the right to choose ”.
The SNP set a roadmap this weekend for a referendum after the coronavirus pandemic ended, an escalation of a confrontation with the London government that is to influence British policy after it leaves the European Union. The Scottish government, led by the SNP for 14 years, opposes Brexit, and Scotland voted against it in 2016.
Critical vote
Scotsman the election – which Sturgeon said he still expects to go as scheduled – is framed as a vote on the right to another independence referendum, and Johnson’s conservatives are increasingly worried about the approach. Polls show that the SNP is about to win a majority in the Scottish Parliament, and Sturgeon has pledged to hold a plebiscite in the “first part” of the next parliamentary session.
SNPs The 11-point plan stipulates that any new vote must be “beyond legal challenge.” But the document leaves open the possibility that the Scottish Parliament could hold a referendum to force Westminster to block him in court.
Johnson rejected requests for a separation vote, arguing that a 2014 referendum, in which Scots voted to stay in the UK with 55% to 45%, solved the problem in the foreseeable future. The vote came after then-Prime Minister David Cameron issued an order transferring the necessary powers to Edinburgh.
Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said now was not the time for a referendum, and the SNP should focus on improving the economy, education and health care systems in Scotland.
“People across Scotland want the focus to be on recovery, not referendums,” Ross told Times Radio on Sunday. “I don’t think there should be another referendum.”
Opinion polls are now consistently showing greater support to break away 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% – 44%, with 7% undecided. The poll suggests the independence movement will benefit if Johnson remains prime minister.
Salmond investigation
Sturgeon is reluctant to go ahead with any vote that would not take place up to international law. It is also facing other political winds, such as ensuring that the launch of the vaccine in Scotland is not delayed, bringing children back to school and increasing deaths from drug abuse.
Read more: The vaccine promise raises electoral stakes for the Scottish leader
There is also an ongoing investigation into how the government handled a case of harassment against its predecessor Alex Salmond, which is becoming increasingly bitter. Sturgeon will face a commission hearing in the coming weeks. The problem has already proved divisive for her party.
Salmond was released by a court in March for sexual assaults on women during his tenure. In his BBC interview, Sturgeon said he had not misled parliament about harassment claims. “I did not collaborate with Alex Salmond and I 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 crowd-funded case, brought by a Scottish independence activist, to determine whether the Edinburgh parliament already has the legal means to call a vote without UK approval. Judge Ailsa Carmichael said on Friday that she would make a “very quick” decision and accept or reject the request – or choose not to give an opinion.
– With the assistance of Joe Mayes
(Updates with Douglas Ross’s comment in the eighth paragraph.)