Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched her new campaign on Tuesday ahead of a second independence referendum. She argues that Scotland would be in much better economic health outside the UK.
According to M.me Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party as well as the devolved government in Scotland, “the time has come to put forward a different and better vision” for Scotland.
A first referendum on the independence of Scotland failed in 2014, when 55% of the citizens who expressed themselves opted for the “No” preferring to remain within the United Kingdom.
Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to hold a new independence referendum before the end of 2023. On Tuesday, she said the Scottish Parliament had “an indisputable democratic mandate” to organize a referendum poll following of the electoral victory of his party, whose campaign promised the holding of such a vote.
If we had known in 2014 all that we know now about the path chosen by the United Kingdom, I have no doubt that Scotland would have voted “yes”
The Scottish National Party leads a pro-independence majority in the Scottish Parliament in conjunction with the Scottish Green Party. On the side of the British government, Prime Minister Boris Johnson opposes the holding of a new referendum, arguing that the case was settled in 2014.
Nicola Sturgeon believes that circumstances have changed over the past eight years, especially since Brexit, when the United Kingdom left the European Union. A decision opposed by a majority of Scots.
“If we had known in 2014 all that we know now about the path chosen by the United Kingdom, I have no doubt that Scotland would have voted “yes”, assured the first minister in an interview with the BBC.
A first series of briefing papers published by the Scottish Government under the theme ‘Building a New Scotland’ addresses the challenges facing Scotland in the aftermath of independence as well as the ways in which independence could help to make wealthier and fairer Scotland.
Like Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland has its own devolved government and imposes its own policies on health and education in particular. However, the UK’s central government in London retains jurisdiction over matters relating to defense and taxation, among others.
The opposition parties accuse Mme Sturgeon to devote himself to independence while neglecting other issues deemed more pressing, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living. They believe that a new referendum would result in dividing the population, which would be counterproductive for Scotland.