The Scottish government proposes that a second referendum on independence be held on October 19, 2023. Being a convinced Quebec separatist, I support it without hesitation.
Posted at 3:00 p.m.
That said, the inspirational First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, may have erred in asking the UK Supreme Court to determine whether the Scottish Parliament had the power to legislate to hold a referendum without the approval of the UK government. There is no doubt that the said Court will establish that the London agreement is necessary. Mme Sturgeon will be well advanced. Law-abiding Scots will be reluctant to follow it in 2023.
The former Premier of Quebec, Maurice Duplessis, has already said of the Supreme Court of Canada, of British inspiration, that it is “like the tower of Pisa: it always leans on the same side”.
In Ottawa as in London, judges are appointed by the central government. Elementary my dear Watson.
It is not too late for the Scottish Government to cancel its request. Fifteen months will pass between now and the holding of the referendum, that gives time. Boris Johnson is now refusing to give his approval, but this disputed prime minister could be forced to resign by then, and his successor could be more understanding if he wants to be reappointed in 2024. Not to mention that new elections could stand. If Labor took power, everything could be different.
Whether the British government is open or not, Mme Sturgeon will appear when the time comes before his counterpart in London and remind him that two states merged freely in 1707 and that the time has come to go their separate ways. If he refuses to give his approval, she will have no choice but to go ahead and hold her referendum despite everything.
To encourage him, I point out to him that Quebec did not ask permission from Canada (which is a British creation) to hold the referendums of 1980 and 1995.
Finally, I think that if Queen Elizabeth II, 96, leaves this world before the referendum, and her son Charles (less loved by the British) replaces her, YES will prevail in Scotland. If so, King Charles will lose his palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.