IN the maelstrom of letters published since Tuesday’s announcement of a General Election (Letters, April 18, 19, 20 & 21), one issue not discussed here is whether, should a majority of elected Scottish MPs support independence, that this should be considered a mandate to open negotiations with Westminster for Scotland’s independence.
Clearly, given we have already had one referendum, this would be a major change of policy, but then changes in policy would hardly be atypical of the current UK political scene. After all Brexit was not going to happen, but since it has happened, now is just the wrong time to hold another Scottish referendum, even though there is a clear majority for this in the Scottish Parliament, but hey let’s have a General Election – or so says the Prime Minister, elected by precisely no one.
A more serious objection would be that this could be undemocratic since it might not require 50 per cent to vote in favour. Indeed, with 49.7 per cent of the votes cast in 2015 the SNP secured 56 of the 59 Scottish seats, so a majority (30) could be achieved with less. But those who argue this way need to remember this outcome would have been achieved through the traditional processes of UK democracy – first past the post, and a majority being one more than the other side. Nor is a referendum the only legal means of achieving independence. As former British Ambassador Craig Murray, has written recently, “the large majority of states, including EU states Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia have achieved independence without a referendum as part of the process”.
There is also a higher authority to whom we can make reference – Margaret Thatcher, who pointed out in her memoirs that “Scotland does not need a referendum on independence, she just needs to send a majority of Nationalist MPs to Westminster to have a mandate for independence."
Moreover, what is the alternative? To be condemned almost certainly to a further five years of Theresa May telling us that “now is not the time”, or that the Conservative Party in Scotland sees no demand for another referendum? I am certain that Angus Robertson can devise tactics to hamper the Westminster Government, Pete Wishart can tweet away with increasing ire, and Mhairi Black make more excellent speeches which might even induce a blush of shame on the government front benches. We will, though, be no nearer to independence. Moreover, Scotland will have been out of the EU for at least four years by the time the next General Election is held and a referendum organised, if, of course, that is the right time.
As former BBC presenter, Derek Bateman, has pointed out in his blog, “in the face of Tory chicanery, I lack the respect for them and their process to keep on seeking their approval for a democratic right. I lack the sense of inferiority to treat them like masters who know best …. Shouldn’t we bypass the failed referendum route and upgrade our demand?”
Alasdair Galloway,
14 Silverton Avenue, Dumbarton.
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