Why John Swinney believes now is the best time for Scottish independence |
ON Tuesday, as he had promised in the SNP’s election campaign, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney presented a motion to its parliament calling on Westminster to grant what is called a Section 30 order under the 1998 Scotland Act.
That temporarily gives Scotland the power to hold a referendum on independence.
Swinney told the Holyrood parliament that this month’s election result provided a “clear mandate that decisions about Scotland’s future are best taken in Scotland and that mandate must be respected”. The motion passed easily.
There can be no doubt about the size of the mandate. While the SNP on 58 fell short of the 65 seats required for an overall majority in the 129-seat parliament, the Scottish Greens, also supporters of independence, increased their seats substantially to 15. It’s Scotland’s biggest ever vote for pro-independence parties.
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It’s the fifth successive election the SNP has won, which says something about sentiment for independence in Scotland.
Furthermore, polls show support for independence is higher than support for the SNP.
Following the vote, Swinney was in contact with British prime-minister-for-the-time being Keir Starmer. They agreed to........