Nicola Sturgeon argued in a second vote on independence that cribs must be allowed to make “voted democratic choices.”
The First Minister of Scotland and SNP leaders said before issuing a “Route Map” statement how she believes a referendum could take place if Westminster continues to block the plan. I did.
The 2014 referendum, in which voters north of the border chose to stay in the UK 55% to 45%, took place after Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to an order in Article 30.
But since then, the conservative prime minister has flatly rejected the proposal that another vote is needed.
It’s time to give people the democratic choices they voted for
However, Ms. Sturgeon claimed that the SNP’s victory in the 2021 Holyrood election would give her another referendum mission, saying she hopes this will happen by the end of 2023.
Her party failed to gain overall control in the Scottish Parliament last year, but a record number of Scottish Green Party elections means that Holyrood has a majority for a new vote on this issue.
Her critics argue that she is “obsessed” with a second referendum when the Scottish government should focus on issues such as tackling the cost of living crisis.
But Ms. Sturgeon said, “Scottish people have elected a parliament that promised to give them a choice of independence, so democracy must be respected.”
Prior to her statement to Holilud, the Prime Minister added:
“It may be an inconvenient truth for our political opponents, but it is still a simple and unavoidable truth.”
“Continuous attempts to thwart that democracy only weaken the position of the British government, here and internationally,” she argued.
Sturgeon said: “Frankly, the UK Government is not in a position to teach other countries the need to respect democracy norms when trying to stop democracy in the country.
“And because we live in democracy, where election results are still important, ongoing efforts to warn people’s will must and will fail.
“The UK is a partnership of consent or not a partnership that deserves its name.
“Westminster’s control over Scotland can only be based on an agreed voluntary partnership.
“Now is the time to give people the democratic choices they have voted for, and to independently build a more prosperous and fairer country in true partnerships with friends in Scotland and other parts of the UK. “
However, Scottish Conservative Constitutional Spokesman Donald Cameron said:
Cameron said: “Last week before summer vacation, people want the SNP government to focus on issues that really matter to them, rather than wasting time and energy on pretending polls.
“For now, ministers need to prioritize the global cost of living crisis, fix the NHS and rebuild the economy from a pandemic.
“It’s shameful that Nicola Sturgeon puts them all in the backburner and promotes another unwanted, and perhaps even illegal, referendum.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar accused the prime minister of “trying to bring Scotland back to past politics rather than addressing current challenges.”
He said Ms. Sturgeon was pushing for an unwanted referendum and ignoring people’s desperate cry to support the cost of living crisis.
Sarwar said: One in eight Scottish people remains on the waiting list as the NHS is under pressure and public transport is disrupted.
“Instead of addressing these issues, the two governments are trying to bite each other and tear the community apart for political gain.”
Scotland’s Liberal Democratic Party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton was also critical of the Prime Minister, saying that “Nikola Sturgeon’s desire to dissolve Britain is unmanageable, relentless and hopeless.”
He added: “Nikola Sturgeon ignores everyone who is worried about bill payments and the proliferation of Covid infections.
“This is a big deal for health staff, hundreds of thousands of people on the NHS waiting list, and those who believe that education is a top priority.
“Dissolving Britain is not the solution to these problems.
“Her obsession with breaking Britain is a big part of the problem.”
But Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Green Party, argued that holding another referendum was “basically about democracy.”
Slater said: “Both the Scottish Green Party and the SNP have promised to hold a referendum during this parliamentary session in their respective election manifestos.
“Our party has won more votes and seats than the three member parties.
“The obligation to hold a referendum is very clear.
“People will have their say.”
After the two parties signed a power-sharing agreement, Green, now Deputy Secretary of the Scottish Government, added:
“Scottish people are sovereigns and only they can decide how they are governed.”