Most voters in Northern Ireland also voted to remain and Irish nationalist leaders there called for a poll on leaving the UK and uniting with Ireland. Hot on the heels of Friday’s results, nationalist leaders in both countries vowed to leave the United Kingdom if that is the required price to keep their homelands fully connected to Europe. One may be fears that a lightweight European Union, without Britain, is a less attractive partner for Scotland, which sends two thirds of its output to the rest of the UK. Most analysts dismiss that prospect.
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In her first comments on the result, Ms Sturgeon welcomed Scotland’s “unequivocal” vote to stay in the European Union after all 32 local authorities delivered a vote for remain.
In her response to the referendum, First Minister and Scotland National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon said that a new referendum on Scotland’s status within the United Kingdom must be on the table.
She said such a vote would have to be held before the United Kingdom formally exited the European Union, which could happen as soon as 2018.
A legally binding referendum would also require the approval of Westminster and David Cameron has repeatedly reminded Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon that they promised in 2014, when Scots voted 55-45 to remain part of the United Kingdom, that it was a “once in a generation” event.
“People in Scotland are quite simply stunned”, said party lawmaker John Nicolson.
She would also have to make sure that the maelstrom around Britain’s European Union exit does not sweep away some of the support the SNP now has.
“Clearly they’ve misled the Scottish people”, he said.
Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the people of Northern Ireland must have a say on their own future. There are concerns about how the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland would be handled, and if free travel between them would still be allowed.
The Sinn Fein veteran said the region is in “unchartered waters” and he would seek “urgent” talks with the Irish and Scottish governments and European Union institutions on “how we move forward in the best interests of all of our people”.
There are other big factors hindering a divorce. Kenny emerged saying his government’s top priority was to minimize damage to Ireland’s exports-driven economy, not to open old wounds in Northern Ireland. But both asserted that decades of opinion polling and election results had demonstrated that such a demand was too weak to merit a vote anytime soon. “They would want me to be straight and honest with them”. “There is no such evidence”. “That’s where our focus is”.
Across the United Kingdom, 52% of voters backed leaving the European Union, a verdict which resulted in David Cameron announcing he would step down as Prime Minister before October’s Conservative conference.
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“I think an independence referendum is now highly likely”. The Scottish leader also praised British Prime Minister David Cameron. She added that it was not party policy to seek entry to the single currency if Scotland became independent, but the pound might not be “as attractive a currency” if it weakened after Brexit.
