Being part of the United Kingdom is not voluntary, the Scottish Prime Minister concluded after the Supreme Court rejected a referendum on independence.
Those who want Scottish independence have been disappointed again, but the disappointment has also been mixed with a lot of new energy.
Yesterday, Wednesday, the British Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Scotland cannot hold a new referendum on independence without the permission of the British Parliament.
Scotland’s pro-independence Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon appeared defiantly to his supporters in Edinburgh. He said the court’s decision shows that the UK is not a voluntary partnership between nations.
– A partnership is not voluntary if you cannot decide your own future without the other party’s approval. That’s not what a partnership is in the first place, Sturgeon said.
Sturgeon had planned a consultative referendum for October next year, but said earlier that the vote must be legal and internationally recognized in order to take place. Sturgeon herself asked the Supreme Court to take a stand on the matter.
After the court’s decision, he said he would continue to push for independence through legal means.
Britain’s new prime minister Rishi Sunak said, as expected, that he respects the court’s decision. The British government has a tight-lipped attitude towards Scotland’s independence aspirations.
– I believe that the Scots want us to work to solve common challenges in the economy, health care and supporting Ukraine. Politicians now have to be united, Sunak acknowledged.
Brexit changed everything
A referendum on independence was held in Scotland in 2014. At that time, the position of those who remained in the United Kingdom clearly won by 55 to 45 percent.
A referendum should take place no more than once in a generation, was a generally accepted principle at the time. However, independence soon returned to the agenda.
In 2016, Britain decided to leave the European Union in the Brexit vote. However, a clear majority of Scottish voters would have preferred to remain in the EU.
Brexit changed the whole situation and therefore a new referendum is needed, say advocates of Scottish independence. The ruling party SNP led by Prime Minister Sturgeon wants Scotland to become an independent country and a member of the EU.
The next election is in sight
In Edinburgh, after the court decision, people demonstrated both for and against Scottish independence – although the previous demonstration was significantly larger, says The Guardian magazine (you will switch to another service).
Prime Minister Sturgeon, who was there, already turned her eyes to the 2024 elections, which she has already framed as a “practical referendum” on independence.
According to Sturgeon, Scotland’s democratic rights are themselves under threat.
– We must and we are going to find a democratic, legal and constitutional way for the Scots to express their will. I think this can only be achieved through elections, he said on Wednesday.
Sturgeon has previously said that a vote of more than 50% for the SNP in the next election would mean that the majority of Scots want independence. Sturgeon is already building the next election campaign around the demand for independence.
In the previous elections, the SNP received slightly less than 50 percent of the Scottish vote.
Researcher: “Sturgeon’s last straw”
The prime minister, known as a cautious politician, is now playing a “big gamble”, says a professor of politics at the University of Edinburgh James Mitchell in an interview with news agency Reuters.
– Internal resistance has been growing for some time. It seems that gambling on such a “virtual referendum” is Sturgeon’s last straw, says Mitchell.
The ruling party SNP has never in its history received 50 percent of the Scottish vote, although it has been very close. The issue of independence has also divided the Scots pretty much equally.
Falling short of the ambitious goal set by Sturgeon would mean a setback for independence efforts and a change in party leadership, writes the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC (switch to another service).
On the other hand, even achieving the goal would not necessarily turn the heads of the British Parliament in London.
Channel 4 (switch to another service) -kanala’s news did a quick survey of Scottish people’s opinions right after the Supreme Court’s decision. Scots were asked if they would vote for the SNP in the next election if it could lead to Scottish independence.
Of those who responded to the survey, 50 percent said yes and 33 percent said no. The rest couldn’t say their opinion.
You can discuss the topic until Friday 25 November. until 11 p.m.