Local SNP MSP Tom Arthur has welcomed news that the democratic case for Scotland having the ability to choose its own constitutional future has been published today in a new document.
The paper – entitled “Scotland’s Right to Choose: Putting Scotland’s Future in Scotland’s Hands” – lays out the detailed case for how and why the country should be able to have the choice of independence in a referendum.
The document includes a specific call on the UK Government to “enter discussions about the Scottish Government’s mandate for giving the people of Scotland a choice, and to agree legislation with the Scottish Government that would put beyond doubt the Scottish Parliament’s right to legislate for a referendum on independence.”
Launching the document at Bute House in Edinburgh, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
“It is a fundamental democratic principle that decisions on Scotland’s constitutional future should rest with the people who live here.
“As this document lays out, the Scottish Government has a clear democratic mandate to offer people a choice on that future in an independence referendum, and the UK Government has a democratic duty to recognise that. Last week’s General Election has only strengthened that mandate […]
“Of course, I anticipate that in the short term we will simply hear a restatement of the UK Government’s opposition. But they should be under no illusion that this will be an end of the matter […]
“It is for the Prime Minister to defend why he believes the UK is not a voluntary union of equal nations. It is for him to set out why he does not believe people in Scotland have the right to self-determination.
“And it is for the Prime Minister to explain why he believes it is acceptable to ignore election after election in Scotland and to over-ride a democratic mandate stronger than the one he claims for his Brexit deal.”
Renfrewshire South’s MSP said:
“This document marks an important step in Scotland’s journey towards choosing its own future, and supports an argument that I hope an increasing number of people will now unite behind.
“The people of East Renfrewshire voted overwhelmingly to reject Brexit, first in the EU referendum in 2016 and again in last week’s General Election, and it is only right that this decision be respected going forward. As the First Minister said this morning, we live in a democracy, and ultimately democracy must and will prevail.”
Kirsten Oswald, MSP for East Renfrewshire added:
“Scotland overwhelmingly rejected Boris Johnson at the ballot box, and we did not choose Brexit. It is right that the people in Scotland should decide on the kind of future they want. Boris Johnson must not stand in the way of their ability to choose.”
ENDS
Notes:
“Scotland’s Right to Choose: Putting Scotland’s Future in Scotland’s Hands” is available online