NICOLA Sturgeon will insist today that “the will of the people must prevail” as she lays out her long-awaited map on the road to independence.
However, the Herald understands that the first minister will not present Holyrood’s bill for a second referendum on the Yes / No lines of 2014 today, which will potentially leave her supporters disappointed.
A source close to the process said there would eventually be a bill, but it would be based on a new version.
However, a second source told the Herald that there would be no bill of any kind published today, meaning no legislation would be published until September, after Holyrood’s summer vacation.
The Times also announced today that there will be no bill until after the summer holidays, leaving a very short schedule for Ms. Sturgeon to achieve her goal of holding a vote in October 2023.
As the SNP and the Greens have a combined majority in Holyrood after last year’s election, Ms Sturgeon said last night that democracy required the UK government to stop blocking Indyref2 and co-operate in organizing a new vote.
But she did not hint at how she could force London to change course, while her statement was about offering voters a “choice” rather than a “referendum.”
Opposition parties have said it must stop wasting time and money on the country and focus on more pressing issues in healthcare, education and other difficult public services.
The Scotland in Union group has revealed that 20 civil servants are now working on a new prospectus at a salary price of up to £ 1.2 million, up from 11 in the New Year.
Director Alistair Cameron said: “This revelation demonstrates a completely unacceptable loss of taxpayers’ money from the SNP.
“The first minister must stop giving in to hardline nationalists and squandering public money on a hypothetical, unwanted referendum.
Ms Sturgeon said: “The people of Scotland have elected a parliament committed to giving them a choice of independence, and so this democratic will must be respected.
“In Scotland, people are and have always been sovereign – and the will of the people must prevail.
“This may be an inconvenient truth for our political opponents, but it is nevertheless a simple and inevitable truth.
“Continued attempts to block this democracy will only weaken the position of the UK government, here and internationally.
“Frankly, the UK government is not in a position to give lectures to any other country on the need to respect democratic norms if it intends to try to thwart democracy at home.
“And because we live in a democracy where election results still matter, ongoing efforts to thwart the will of the people must – and will fail.
She continued: “The United Kingdom is either a partnership of consent or not a partnership worthy of the name. The administration of Westminster over Scotland cannot be based on anything other than a coherent, voluntary partnership.
“It is time to give the people the democratic choice they voted for, and then with independence to build a more prosperous, fairer country in a genuine partnership of equals between Scotland and our friends in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Since 2020, Boris Johnson has refused to give Holyrood the power he needs to conduct a legally waterproof second ballot, claiming that the 2014 result is a “once in a generation” event.
Ms. Sturgeon said she wanted to resume the “gold standard” process eight years ago, with additional powers being transferred to Holyrood under the so-called Section 30 order.
However, publishing the first part of a new prospectus for independence earlier this month, she acknowledged that she may have to continue without an order under section 30 due to the prime minister’s refusal to be a “democrat”.
Ms Sturgeon said she could bring the Indyref2 bill through Holyrood and dare the UK government to challenge it in the UK Supreme Court, where it could be declared incompetent.
Alternatively, it could try to avoid litigation by holding a national consultation that failed to win a full-fledged referendum, hoping to get the UK government to start independence talks.
But the UK government may refuse to commit to the exercise, weakening it in the eyes of the international community, which will have to recognize Scotland’s independence.
Preparing Ms. Sturgeon for the fall, Alba party leader Alex Salmond said the Yes movement needed “full clarity from the first minister on Scotland’s path to independence.”
He said: “Ten years ago, I established a path to independence through the Edinburgh Accords and the Westminster Section 30 mechanism.
“If this is still the way to go, then it must be confirmed and then it must be pointed out how Johnson’s government can bow to the will of the Scottish people.
“If another path has to be followed, then it must be explained how this can be done within the promised deadline for the 2023 referendum.
This “no, if not, but” commitment for October next year stimulates the “Yes” movement. Now we need to hear how it should be delivered and the Scottish claim to the right to be respected. ”
Scottish Greens co-chair Lorna Slater said: “Both the Scottish Green Party and the SNP have pledged in our respective campaign manifestos to hold a referendum at this parliamentary session. Our parties won more votes and more seats than the three union parties. The mandate for holding a referendum is crystal clear. The people will have their say. The people of Scotland are sovereign, they are the only ones who decide how to govern.
“I believe that with independence we will build a fairer and greener Scotland. Scotland, which rejects the hostile environment, rejects the climate catastrophe and embraces an external approach to global affairs. I believe that when people are given this choice next year, they will vote for it. ”
Donald Cameron MSP said: “The first minister’s obsessive push for a new separatist referendum on independence is the pinnacle of complacency and irresponsibility.
“In the last week before the summer holidays, people want to see the SNP government focus on the issues that really matter to them, instead of wasting time and energy on pretentious research.
“Right now, ministers need to prioritize the global cost of living crisis, fix our NHS and rebuild our economy from the pandemic.
“It is a disgrace that Nicola Sturgeon will put all this in the background to push for another unwanted – probably even illegal – referendum.
“A poll after the poll shows that the public does not want to dispel another constitutional debate at the moment, as this will only reopen the old wounds and distract ministers from what really matters to voters. “Nicola Sturgeon needs to get back to her daily work, stop giving in to her party – and start listening to Scotland.
Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar said: “The SNP is trying to drag Scotland back into the politics of the past, instead of tackling the challenges of the present. Not surprisingly, Nicola Sturgeon is stepping up her efforts to sow division and strife when we see the chaos in her party and the failures of her government.
“She says she listens to the people of Scotland, but denies herself, holding an unwanted referendum and ignoring people’s desperate cries for help in the cost of living crisis.
“Currently, people in Scotland are struggling to put food on the table while bills are stopped; one in eight Scots is stuck on a waiting list as our NHS closes under pressure and public transport is in chaos.
“Instead of dealing with these issues, we have two governments feeding on each other and trying to tear communities apart for political gain – but you can’t play politics as long as people’s lives and livelihoods are in balance.
“The next election in Scotland will be a general election. This is our chance for change, and Scottish Labor is ready to overthrow the Tories and elect a Labor government.
“Only Labor can take Boris Johnson out of government, bring our country together and focus on people’s priorities. Join us and let’s build this future together. ”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton added: “Nicolas Sturgeon’s desire to break up the United Kingdom is out of touch, obsessive and desperate.
“She ignores anyone who is worried about paying the bills or the sharp rise in Covid infections. It’s a blow to the teeth for healthcare professionals, the hundreds of thousands of people on the NHS’s waiting lists, and anyone who believed the prime minister when she said education was a top priority.
“The break-up of the United Kingdom is not the answer to these problems. Her obsession with smashing the UK is a big part of the problem.
In response to reports that 20 government officials were working on Nicolas Sturgeon’s independence proposals at a cost of up to £ 1.2 million, Mr Cole-Hamilton added:
“This money and these government officials can be used to deal with the cost of living, reduce Covid rates or reduce waiting times. In the hands of the SNP, they are used for just the opposite.
“The SNP is wasting money on a reckless fantasy of dividing the United Kingdom.
Add Comment