Never mind London’s refusal and the failure of a previous consultation: the Scottish Prime Minister reaffirmed on Tuesday her determination to organize an “advisory” referendum on the independence of the British nation in the fall of 2023.
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“I can announce that the Scottish Government proposes that the independence referendum be held on October 19, 2023,” Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told local parliament.
To organize this referendum, Mrs. Sturgeon, leader of the independence party SNP, must obtain the agreement of the British government, which is firmly opposed to it.
The Scots had already been consulted on the subject in 2014 and had voted 55% to remain within the United Kingdom.
Based on this vote, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson argues that such a referendum can only happen “once in a generation”.
The SNP, however, believes that Brexit has been a game-changer, with Scots opposing it by 62%. The SNP’s aim is for Scotland to join the European Union as an independent state.
Nicola Sturgeon said she was ready to negotiate with Boris Johnson but warned she would not allow ‘Scottish democracy to be a prisoner to Boris Johnson or any prime minister’.
Expecting a legal standoff, she took the lead and announced that the Supreme Court had been asked to determine whether the Scottish Parliament had the power to legislate to organize this referendum without the agreement of the British government.
If the court decides in his favor, the leader of the separatists will have won his bet. In the event of a defeat in court, Nicola Sturgeon warned that she would use the legislative elections as a “de facto referendum”.
“Whatever the way, the people of Scotland will have their say,” she said.
The popular leader of the separatists relies on her fourth term obtained last year to justify her approach.
Before his speech, Boris Johnson repeated his commitment to the unity of the kingdom.
“We certainly believe our plan for a stronger economy works better when the UK is united than when it is not,” the Conservative leader told British television on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G7 in Germany.
Nicola Sturgeon’s determined speech coincides with the presence in Scotland this week of Queen Elizabeth II.
The 96-year-old sovereign has been taking part in a week of royal events in Scotland since Monday, alongside members of her family.
The Queen, who has had trouble getting around for months, appeared smiling on Tuesday watching a military parade in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
AFP
At the beginning of June, the British celebrated for four days his 70 years of reign.
On the occasion of this platinum jubilee, Elizabeth II, who is the oldest monarch in the world in office, had reaffirmed her intention to continue to serve her subjects “to the best of (her) abilities, supported by (her) family “.
She is more and more often represented by Prince Charles, 73, heir to the crown, who will also participate in various engagements this week in Scotland, as part of this week of Holyrood.
Although as monarch, the Queen must observe strict political neutrality, The Telegraph considered that her unannounced visit to Scotland “had a political impact as always polite”.
“Without speaking – and almost without moving in public – she launched into the kind of display of soft diplomacy that she has spent 70 years perfecting,” the conservative newspaper said.
Reference-www.tvanouvelles.ca