[0762]

Westminster/the Brexit Party is against that because they are terrified that Scotland and the Scottish people will vote for Scottish independence. That possibility is real and forget about SCO's GE stats and all the rest. The turnout for such a referendum will be much bigger than the 68.6% turnout in Scotland for the general election. I've said this before and repeat that the Scot gov should set a mandatory vote for the next referendum - won't draw a 100% vote anyway but the vote will be emphatic. The right to vote for such a referendum should be with the Scottish people; the decision should not be with Johnson and neither with Nicola Sturgeon but with the Scottish Parliament. Ohhhh, and that mandate has been voted on and agreed by the Scottish parliament!! So why all the animosity against it??????? They are terrified and Jim's thread #293 sums up the fascist nature of the response from these Brexit bastards down south. As undemocratic as it gets!! Your vote is meaningless eh - GET BACK IN YOUR BOX SCOTLAND! AYE, THAT'LL BE RIGHT!!

In the interests of fairness, I feel it necessary to point out that "once in a generation" was not a personal view of one man, it was the phrase used in the preface of Scotlands Future, the official Scottish Government publication in late 2013, setting out their case for Scottish Independence.

With regard to the hated FPTP system, it is responsible for the SNP getting 7.4% of the seats in Westminster despite getting only 3.9% of the votes. In fact, in 2019 the SNP received fewer total votes than in 2015, as well as a smaller percentage of the total votes cast and returning fewer MPs. As a whole, Scottish MPs have never been greatly influential in Westminster, never mind since Independence support increased in Scotland.

I took the trouble to read 0762's Business For Scotland article and found it just as one-sided as any Daily Mail article. Having said that, my support for Independence is solid and hopefully I will be around long enough to see it, but it'll be a while yet.

The para in the preface of that Scot govt white paper reads: "If we vote No, Scotland stands still. A once in a generation opportunity to follow a different path, and choose a new and better direction for our nation, is lost. Decisions about Scotland would remain in the hands of others". The message in that para is far more important and profound than that misused line. Alex Salmond played a big part in approving and placing that "once in a generation line" in that preface and it was ill-conceived - he never needed to put it in that para. He also referred to it in one speech. It is now being used as a rhetorical "stick" to beat up Scots and the SNP in the quest for Scottish independence as though it has been written in some kinda statutory law and therefore Scots are not allowed to push for a second referendum any more even though "material change", namely Brexit, changed everything. The Scottish people have every right to demand that mandate!!!! Lastly Business for Scotland does not compare with a fascist RW "rag" called the Daily Mail that has no regard for Scotland or the democratic rights of the Scottish people - just an opinion but an accurate one!