With the current happenings, it appears the Scottish First
Minister, Nicola Sturgeon has edged nearer to making a demand for a second
Scottish independence referendum as claims one in 2018 could be "common
sense".
Ms Sturgeon further reiterated that her call for a second
indyref is not a bluff as it may be called in autumn 2018.
Former Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, has repeatedly
suggested this as a likely date and Sturgeon’s remarks will fuel speculation of
an announcement at next week's SNP conference.
The SNP leader has repeatedly argued that another poll would
be "almost necessary" if her demands for a bespoke Brexit deal are
not met by Prime Minister Theresa May, due to the fact that majority of the
Scottish people voted to remain in the EU.
Nonetheless the comments made in a BBC interview generated anger
among opponents who said the First Minister should "put the country
first".
Asked about autumn 2018 Ms Sturgeon told Brexit: Britain’s
Biggest Deal: “Within that window, er I guess of when the, the sort of outline
of a UK deal, becomes clear on the UK exiting the EU, I think would be the
common sense time for, Scotland to have that choice, if that is the road we
choose to go down.”
Pressed by presenter Laura Kuenssberg if she "not was
ruling out autumn 2018”, Ms Sturgeon replied: “I’m not ruling anything out.”
Earlier this week former SNP deputy leader Jim Sillar made
it clear that he would not vote for
independence if it would Scotland re-joining the EU.
Mr Sillars, 79, who played a leading role in 2014's Yes
campaign, stressed that he does not want to be ruled by "an unelected,
self-serving elite" in Brussels.
Also, Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson condemned Ms
Sturgeon's latest comments saying it demonstrated the "SNP is hell bent on
taking Scotland back to another divisive independence referendum".
Ms Davidson added: "She knows that a referendum would
inflict further damage on Scotland's economy.
"It is therefore deeply irresponsible for the First
Minister of Scotland to cast this cloud of uncertainty over our future.
"She needs to put the country first for once. People in
Scotland don't want a second referendum, and the SNP doesn't have a mandate for
one.
Rather than cast our future under further doubt, Nicola
Sturgeon needs to act like a First Minister, provide some certainty for
Scotland, and rule it out."
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale also stated: “This is
yet another attempt by Nicola Sturgeon to sow division and uncertainty, at a
time when the country needs to pull together more than ever.
“The First Minister has been all over the place – one week
she threatens a vote, the next week she backs away from one.
"Nicola Sturgeon could provide much needed clarity on
Scotland's future by ruling out another independence referendum
altogether."
She said: “Well, I’m not and I never have been and, you
know, I always think that sometimes kind of says more about them than it says
about me because it, it suggests that there are politicians in Westminster who
think Brexit and all of this is some kind of game.
"It’s not a game, it’s really, really serious and the
implications for the UK are serious and the implications for Scotland are
serious."
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