By Tony O’Reilly-
Nicola Sturgeon has set the date for a proposed “consultative referendum” next year on Scottish independence which can be a big problem for the Uk
The first minister said legislation will lay out plans for a vote to take place on 19 October 2023.
It will ask the question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
Ms Sturgeon(pictured) has threatened for her party, the SNP, to fight the next general election as a “de facto referendum” instead.
The Scottish first minister said the Holyrood government had a “clear mandate” to go for another vote – after independence was rejected in a previous poll in 2014.
She said papers were being filed with the Supreme Court to seek to establish the lawfulness of her plans and that she was “ready and willing” to negotiate with the Westminster government on the terms of holding the referendum.
A majority vote would not guarantee Scotland’s independence, and legislation would have to be passed by both the UK and Scottish parliaments to give effect to the decision.
Ms Sturgeon said: “If it does transpire that there is no lawful way for this parliament to give the people of Scotland the choice of independence in a referendum, and if the UK government continues to deny a Section 30 order, my party will fight the UK general election on this single question: should Scotland be an independent country?”
The first minister claimed that Scotland was being held back from fulfilling its potential by “Westminster governments we don’t vote for imposing policies we don’t support”.
“That reality has rarely been starker than it is now,” Ms Sturgeon said, citing Brexit and the cost of living crisis as well as accusing Boris Johnson’s administration of stoking industrial strife and a trade war.
“It does not have to be this way,” she added. “Independence is about equipping ourselves to navigate the future, guided by our own values, aspirations and interests.
“Now is the time, at this critical moment in history, to debate and decide the future of our country. Now is the time to get Scotland on the right path – the path chosen by those who live her.
“Now is the time for independence.”
She said Tuesday the Scottish parliament has an “indisputable democratic mandate” for the vote. Sturgeon’s party leads a pro-independence majority in the Scottish parliament, together with the Scottish Green Party.
She urged Johnson’s government to grant a special order allowing a legally binding independence referendum to be held. She is ready to discuss the terms with Johnson, she added.
Johnson’s office again rejected the bid.
“The U.K. government’s position is that now is not the time to be talking about another referendum,” Johnson’s official spokesman said.
“We are confident that the people of Scotland want and expect their governments to be working together to focus on issues like the global cost-of-living challenges, like war in Europe and the issues that matter to their families and their communities,” he added.
Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, accused Ms Sturgeon of taking her eye off the ball by putting Scotland’s real priorities “on the backburner” in favour of a “selfish obsession” with a referendum.
He added: “All of our focus should be on tackling the huge challenges we face right now: helping families with their bills, supporting front line services and creating good jobs.
“A potentially illegal referendum next year is the wrong priority for Scotland.”
Potential Break Up
Bets are on the Supreme Court to veto the idea of a referendum, but in in the undesirable event of a break up in the Uk , it would be a national humiliation which could make Brexit suicidal in retrospect.
The SNP and Greens are committed to removing nuclear weapons from an independent Scotland, posing problems of its own as the UK’s nuclear forces are based west of Glasgow, what would be the implications of independence for the UK’s hard power?
An independent Scotland could be politically problematic for the rest of the Uk if a break up is rancorous because a security partnership, both military and policing would be vital. Scotland would be a second land border for the UK and the integrity of the defence of these islands will depend on the two working closely together so a lot would depend on how the independence negotiations were conducted.