Landslide SNP victory: London will not block referendum on Scottish independence
UK government will not move to block a referendum on Scottish independence, the Secretary of State for Scotland Liberal Democrat MP Michael Moore has said adding constitutional questions raised about the rights or wrongs of holding a vote would not be raised.
The newly-elected majority SNP Scottish government intends to bring forward a referendum in its five-year term. The Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems all oppose independence.
SNP picked up seats across Scotland, dealing a devastating blow to Labour and taking huge numbers of votes from the Liberal Democrats. The final results for the Scottish Parliament election have SNP with 69 seats, Labour 37, Conservatives 15, Liberal Democrats 5 and Greens 2. Independent MSP Margo Macdonald was also returned to parliament.
Mr Moore told BBC Scotland's Politics Show it was now up to the SNP to bring forward the referendum, which First Minister Alex Salmond said would come “well into the second half” of the new, five-year parliament.
“I firmly believe the Scottish Parliament, if it so decides, can proceed with a referendum,” Mr Moore said, adding: “There will be the normal electoral rules that have to be followed and it will have to be discussed carefully with the relevant authorities.”
The Scottish secretary added: “We could, I suppose, try to make a constitutional issue about where the powers lie or don't, but I don't think that would be a sensible use of anybody's time.
”If the issue of the day is to decide the future of Scotland within the United Kingdom, then that's more important we have that debate, rather than have a debate about whether or not we can have the debate.“
Rather than the referendum, Mr Salmond has decided to concentrate for the moment on further devolution of powers to Holyrood as part of the Scotland Bill, currently going through Westminster.
The first minister told BBC Scotland his party had received an ”overwhelming mandate“ from the people for ”job-creating powers“, namely control over borrowing, the Crown Estates Commission and corporation tax.
But he added: ”Even if we gained all these things that would give the Scottish Parliament control over approximately 20% of the revenue base of Scotland.
“Independence would give the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish people, control over almost 100% of the revenue base of Scotland.”
Challenged on why the referendum was not being held sooner, Mr Salmond said: “That's the plan we outlined to the Scottish people very clearly in our election campaign - we did so consistently. We've been backed overwhelmingly by the Scottish people on that prospectus.
”So you don't change it now just because you have an overwhelming majority.
“The people have showed faith in the Scottish National Party, and therefore the SNP government will repay that faith and keep faith with the people.”
However FM Salmond promised to take forward de Scottish people’s hopes carefully and make the nation proud, and although the SNP has a majority of the seats, we don’t have a monopoly of wisdom.”
Meanwhile, Labour leader Ed Miliband told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show his party must set out an alternative vision to independence, adding: “I don't think the majority of people in Scotland want independence or separatism.”
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Murdo Fraser called on the UK government to give “very serious consideration” to launching its own referendum on the future of the UK constitution to prevent a “damaging” and long-running debate.
Defence Secretary Liam Fox said: “Whether the result in Scotland was the Scottish voters actually positively having a view on independence is, I think, very much up for debate.”
The Conservative minister told the Sky News Murnaghan program: ”I think it was very much more about Labour having taken voters in Scotland for granted and the old Labour fiefdoms rebelling. (BBC).-
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Of course if they decided to leave the UK we could become - 'Britannia, Northern Ireland and the British Territories', or even Albion, Northern Ireland and the British Islands”.
After all, we have islands everywhere :-)
Pity the argies dont take the hint and drop their spurious claim to the Falklands
Another nail in Argentine's coffin in the South Atlantic.
Stop hiding yourselves behind the non sense “Self determination” like little girls behind your mothers skirts.
“My Island Home - Chagos Islands”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFLhB_SkMIg
From Westminster
From the UK
From the EU
Ftom NATO
From the UN SC
For Defense
For Foreign Affairs
For the National Health Service
For Education
For Social Services
For Energy
It costs a lot more money than Scotland could negotiate out of the Independence deal, for Scotland to run itself as a First World enterprise.
Good luck to Scotland if they choose to go down this route; the last time it happened the Scottish begged to come back in the Act of Union.
Now, the EU gives Scotland a chance of being both separate and together at the same time.
And yes, it gives England the chance of operating
*in the interests of England*
(and of Wales on non-Assembly matters).
typical political crap, a true corrupt self-grabbing politician, but will he convince the Scottish people.
[oh by the way, ,,the things he forgot to tell them]
1, the truth
2, Scotland has never been ruled by an English government at Westminster since 1707..
3, there has never been an English government since 1707.
4, they put in approx. 10 billion, the UK gives back in proportion cir [30 billion]
5, Mr Salmon had already approached the EU about funding, for when that day comes
6, the Eu stated they would replace and give what they needed for a short time, under certain conditions, one being Scotland would have to sign up to the European union in their own right to qualify,[seems ok so far]
7, what he was hiding was the following
we don’t want to be ruled by a freely elected English government 800 miles away, but are willing to be ruled by an unelected government 1,000 miles away,
the short of it is, if they go the united kingdom will no longer exist [ever] she won’t be allowed to come back as [Scotland/united kingdom] at a later date, as it will no longer exist, depending on the welsh, you may very well see a [united great Britain]
[British] not the UK but just, great Britain, wales/England/n .Ireland. Just possibly reduced to county status, replace by great Britain, [nothing changes but the name
but of course Scotland may well succeed and enter the European union as an independent Scotland, until such time as it is the united states of Europe, and Scotland will become European citizens , blue flag/gold stares,
, a northern Provence of mighty France, perhaps.
no NHS, Scotland’s decision and Scotland’s fate, ?
personally I hope they stay .
Geoff......It was only thanks to the sheer incompetence of Labour (who were set to win the election quite resoundingly 3 weeks ago) whose entire election campaign focused on saying “the Tories in Westminster are nasty” and seemingly being in complete ignorance of the fact they were campaigning for Holyrood elections, not Westminster ones, the result was they did not challenge in any effective manner many of the appalling lies which Salmond bribed the electorate with. (Free University tuition, free prescription charges, 100% powered by renewable energy by 2020, a New forth Road Bridge etc etc).
It is my opinion that Cameron should hold a snap UK wide referendum now, on breaking up the UK catch the SNP off guard, and when the inevitable No vote comes it will render the SNP as an impotent govt for the rest of their term in office, since their one aim has not been to govern the country, but to get an independence referendum through, with that one cherished aim all but gone, they will be open for being held to account properly on some of the more blatant lies.
I am of the opinion that Scotland could operate as an independent state for good reason, however it is the feasibility and to what extent it could operate, and I certainly do not think it will be the glorious Celtic Lion that fat windbag claims it will be, for the simple reason that out of the 2.5 million people who pay income tax in Scotland, only 48% of those work in the private sector, so just imagine what would happen to those 48% when the extra trappings of Statehood are gifted upon them, two choices emerge reduce the state, or raise the tax...massively....its a lose lose situation and one I'm surprised Labour have consistently failed to point out....
To read some of the negative comments one would think Scotland was imprisoned by the UK rather than the truth, that it is a mutually beneficial alliance that actually favours Scotland financially.
Scotland's identity as a separate country is not in doubt. They have their own parliament. I cannot see what they have to gain.
However if scotland did go independent I would expect that bailout banks based in Edinburgh were transferred to Scotland at the earliest opportunity and as a goodwill gesture and demonstration of friendship Scotland can repay all English tax money that went on bailing out scottish banks.
“As a goodwill gesture and demonstration of friendship Scotland can repay all English tax money that went on bailing out scottish banks.”
I “Think” they will gladly do so...... especially after, as a goodwill gesture and demonstration of friendship, England repays all 40 years of Scottish North Sea Oil money :-)))
The fact is this,
1, Scotland could not afford to pay the British people back,
[England does not exist for your purpose]
2, the North Sea oil, is NOT Scotland’s, this was proved many years ago
when Mr salmon stated it was Scotland’s, only to be humiliated by the stet lands and the other island groups, that it was theirs, not Scotland’s, and if Scotland went for independence, they would either vote to remain as part of Britain, or go back to Denmark,....
3, only united can we achieve the better things, rather than the break-up of the UK.
4, Mr salmon is only interested in himself, the rich-powerful-and corrupt will be the only benefactors of independence, and the Scottish people will lose out once again, just my opinion.
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