Not Exactly Once in a Lifetime… Socialist Scottish Government Set to Launch Another Independence Campaign

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks at a news conference on a proposed second
RUSSELL CHEYNE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

The socialist separatist regional government of Scotland has vowed to launch another independence referendum campaign, Scottish Nationalist Party leader Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday, despite having lost such a vote less than a decade ago.

Despite losing the 2014 referendum on Scotland leaving the United Kingdom and polling suggesting a similar outcome should the vote be held again, the leftist-separatist devolved government of the SNP laid out plans on Tuesday to campaign for another referendum.

In order to hold another vote on independence, the local government in Scotland would likely need to secure a deal with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government in London to secure a Section 30 order to temporarily transfer powers to the Scottish Parliament as it is unclear if the devolved SNP government has the legal authority to act unilaterally.

While Sturgeon claimed to have started negotiations with Johnson, she said that her government would look to “forge a way forward, if necessary without a section 30 order,” the Scotsman reported.

“For the reasons that I’ve set out already, however, we must do so in a lawful manner,” the SNP leader added, though it remains to be seen if such a move would in fact be “lawful” and would likely be needed to be decided by a judicial review.

The government of Boris Johnson has previously ruled out singing off on another referendum before the next general election in 2024, however, it appears that Sturgeon is attempting to take advantage of the weakened state the PM finds himself in after months of lockdown ‘Partygate’ scandals and a recent leadership challenge to push through an early vote on leaving the UK.

In a document intended as a “scene setter” entitled “Independence in the Modern World. Wealthier, Happier, Fairer: Why Not Scotland?” the SNP compared the UK to other European nations, arguing that Scotland would be better off financially outside of the United Kingdom — despite being heavily dependent on taxpayer money from England to prop up its budget.

The paper criticised the UK economy for being comparatively low-tax and deregulated with fewer welfare benefits than its European counterparts and therefore — the socialist-backed paper claimed — has resulted in higher wealth inequality and a higher gender pay gap.

“The examples in this paper illustrate the range of choices that would be available to an independent Scotland able to pursue different policies from those adopted by Westminster over many years,” the paper argued.

“Independence by itself will not guarantee improved performance – that will be determined by the quality of decision-making,” it added.

A forward written by Sturgeon claimed: “It seems clear from the evidence in this paper that the status quo is not allowing Scotland to fulfil our potential, and that the UK economic model, and Westminster decision-making, are holding us back.

“It follows that if the status quo is not working, we should ask how best to fix it.”

On Tuesday, she argued that there is an “indisputable mandate” for another independence referendum. Yet, polling does not bear this statement out, with a poll last month finding that the same percentage of voters back remaining in the UK as did in the 2014 referendum, with a 55-45 split in favour of staying. Other polls have put the margin at about even at 50/50.

The SNP has been criticised by the left-wing Labour Party, with leader Anas Sarwar chastising Sturgeon for using the “politics of strife and division” to distract from her government’s failures to produce better outcomes for the Scottish people.

“Thousands of Scots are being forced to choose between heating and eating and even more are facing sharp bill rises; our NHS is in disarray with lives being lost as a result and our transport infrastructure is falling apart before our eyes,” he said.

“For Nicola Sturgeon to turn her back on the issues facing the people of Scotland and decide at this point to focus on her own obsession is a sad example of how out of touch this government are.

“Nicola Sturgeon has no answer to the vital economic questions posed by independence, no plan to deliver a referendum and no intention to listen to the majority of Scots who are opposed to independence. Instead, the first minister wants to feed off Boris Johnson and his Tory government to fuel her own political ambitions.”

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

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