Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has launched a major new survey on independence, arguing that the Brexit vote had change the conditions that existed when Scotland voted against secession two years ago.
Advertisement
After this year’s Brexit vote Ms Sturgeon warned that a second independence referendum was “highly likely” and she has tasked the Scottish Government to draw up legislation to pave the way for another ballot.
Ms Sturgeon said she wanted to understand in detail how people feel about Europe, Brexit and independence and that the “wealth of information and insight” gathered would inform the next stage of the SNP’s campaign.
In a speech in Perth, Ms Davidson said: “Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that she wants to listen to people who voted No in the hope of meeting their concerns.
It would allow us to take control of our own destiny”, she said.
That view was echoed by the Liberal Democrats’ Willie Rennie, who called for an extra 1p on the Scottish rate of income tax to raise money for education, while the Scottish Greens’ Patrick Harvie said that not enough progress had been made towards a “fairer, more equal and healthier” Scotland.
The Scottish Conservative Leader was responding to an article in theSunday Times about Nicola Sturgeon’s experience of miscarriage.
She told Mandy Rhodes, the author of a new book, Scottish National Party Leaders, that instead of dealing with her grief at home she attended on January 3 2011 the 40th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster, in which 66 Rangers football supporters were crushed to death.
While most Scots still do not back independence, opinion polls have narrowed and another Scottish vote could prove tough to manage as Britain grapples with its European Union exit.
“People in Scotland remember very well the promises that the Tory-led No campaign made in the run up to the 2014 referendum – on shipbuilding, on the European Union, on devolution and more – and they have watched as one-by-one these promises and pledges have been broken”.
Sturgeon said part of the new drive for independence would include the creation of a “party growth commission”, led by former SNP MSP Andrew Wilson, which will examine Scotland’s finances and make economic projections in the context of independence. Some of us simply don’t want to, some of us worry about the impact on our career. A YouGov poll of more than 1,000 Scots found 46% of respondents would vote for Scottish independence, while 54% want to remain in the United Kingdom, a change of 1% in favour of independence since the 2014 referendum result of 45% Yes voters and 55% No.
“Either we can add to the turbulence and the instability … or we can now work to try and put this period of instability behind us so we can all focus on building a stronger and more stable country”.
Scotland’s public services are at breaking point with the SNP’s nine-year tenure now beginning to show serious cracks.
With improving education the “defining mission” of her government, Ms Sturgeon said an Education Bill would be brought in to make the necessary legislative changes.
Advertisement
“Once that idea is out there, it is very hard to reel it back”, said one senior SNP member, who requested anonymity.
