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Brexit: Second IndyRef Would Need Westminster Approval
Topic Started: Oct 21 2016, 01:01 AM (7 Views)
Webster
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USA Today: Scottish independence vote would need British permission

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GLASGOW, Scotland — The Scottish leader will need cooperation from the British Parliament in order to hold a second independence referendum, ministers have confirmed.

A draft referendum bill, published Thursday, showed that an order temporarily transferring legal powers to the seat of the Scottish government in Holyrood would be sought if the legislation is introduced at the Scottish Parliament.

In a preamble to a consultation accompanying the draft bill, the Scottish government states that it would be "expected" that a Section 30 order would be granted, as it was ahead of the 2014 vote.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said previously that it is "inconceivable" that British Prime Minister Theresa May would block a vote. However, other Scottish National Party figures including former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill have said it is "perfectly feasible" that Downing Street will refuse to grant the powers. The British government has not yet given a definitive answer to the question.

It is proposed at this stage that the same question as in 2014, "should Scotland be an independent country?" would be used in a second referendum although a variation has not been ruled out after the consultation. Scotland's constitutional future would be decided by a simple majority, with no minimum turnout threshold.

As in 2014, 16 and 17-year-olds would be eligible to vote, as would European Union citizens. Minor changes to 2014 are proposed around absent voting arrangements and permitted participants.

The consultation asks about technical aspects of the bill, not whether a repeat referendum should be held.

Sturgeon has said she will move for a second referendum if she concludes independence is the best or only way to protect Scotland's interests, after the United Kingdom's decision to quit the EU.

In the June referendum, 52% of voters voted to leave the European Union.

The first minister, in the foreword to the consultation document, said that the Scottish National Party has been elected on a "clear mandate" that it should have the right to hold a referendum, if there was a "significant and material change in circumstances" to 2014 such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against its will.

She added: "Scotland is now faced with one of the specific scenarios in which this government pledged that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum.

"The UK Government’s recent statements on its approach to leaving the EU raise serious concerns for the Scottish Government. We face unacceptable risks to our democratic, economic and social interests and to the right of the Scottish Parliament to have its say.

"Indeed those statements contradict the assurances given before the independence referendum in 2014 that Scotland is an equal partner within the UK and that a vote against independence would secure our EU membership.

"For many people, this approach will be evidence of a wider democratic deficit within the UK, where decisions about Scotland are too often taken against the wishes of people who live here."

She added: "This government remains willing to work with the UK Government to negotiate a future relationship with Europe that is in line with the views of the overwhelming majority of the Scottish people and which works for the United Kingdom as a whole."

The 2014, the independence referendum was defeated 55% to 45%, meaning Scotland remained a part of the United Kingdom.
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