The next steps on securing a referendum on independence were outlined by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during a statement to Parliament yesterday.
She said: “Independence is about equipping ourselves to navigate the future, guided by our own values, aspirations and interests.
“Now is the time – at this critical moment in history – to debate and decide the future of our country. Now is the time to get Scotland on the right path – the path chosen by those who live here. Now is the time for independence.
“This parliament has a clear, democratic mandate to offer Scotland that choice. The UK government, regrettably however, is refusing to respect Scottish democracy.
“The UK and Scottish Governments should be sitting down together, responsibly agreeing a process, including a section 30 order, that allows the Scottish people to decide. That would be the democratic way to proceed.
“The issue of independence cannot be suppressed. It must be resolved democratically. And that must be through a process that is above reproach and commands confidence.
“That is why I am setting out today the actions the Scottish Government and the Lord Advocate will take, in the absence of a section 30 order, to secure Scotland’s right to choose.
“I can announce, first of all, that the Scottish Government is today publishing the ‘Scottish Independence Referendum Bill’.
“In common with the 2014 referendum – indeed, in common with the Brexit referendum and the referendum to establish this Parliament – the independence referendum proposed in the Bill will be consultative, not self-executing.
“The Bill states that the question on the ballot paper should be – just as it was in 2014 – ‘should Scotland be an independent country’.
“There has been much commentary in recent days to the effect that a consultative referendum would not have the same status as the vote in 2014.
“That is simply wrong, factually and legally.
“The status of the referendum proposed in this Bill is exactly the same as the referendums of 1997, 2014 and 2016.
“The Bill includes the proposed date on which the referendum should be held.
“I can announce that the Scottish Government is proposing that the independence referendum be held on 19 October 2023.
“We must seek now to accelerate to the point when we have legal clarity; legal fact. And crucially, in doing so establish and safeguard the ability of this Parliament to deliver a referendum on the date proposed.
“The Lord Advocate has agreed to make a reference of the provisions in the Bill to the Supreme Court.
“I can confirm that the reference will be filed with the Supreme Court this afternoon.
“Obviously, it is this government’s hope that the question in this Bill, proposing a referendum that is consultative, not self-executing, and which would seek to ascertain the views of the Scottish people for or against independence, will be deemed to be within the legislative competence of this Parliament.
“If that outcome is secured, there will be no doubt whatsoever that the referendum is lawful. And I can confirm that the government will then immediately introduce the Bill and ask Parliament to pass the it on a timescale that allows the referendum to proceed on 19 October 2023.
“It is, of course, possible that the Supreme Court will decide that the Scottish Parliament does not have power to legislate for even a consultative referendum. Obviously, that would not be the clarity we hope for.
“But if that is what the law establishing this Parliament really means, it is better to have that clarity sooner rather than later.
“Because what it will clarify is this: any notion of the UK as a voluntary union of nations is a fiction. Any suggestion that the UK is a partnership of equals is false.
“There would be few stronger or more powerful arguments for independence than that.
“And it would not be the end of the matter. Far from it. Democracy demands that people must have their say.
“I want the process set in train today to lead to a lawful, constitutional referendum and for that to take place on 19 October 2023.
“But if the law says that is not possible, the General Election will be a ‘de facto’ referendum.
“Either way, the people of Scotland will have their say.”
“To believe in Scottish independence is to believe in a better future. It involves an unashamedly optimistic view of the world. The belief that things can be better than they are now.
“The people of Scotland have told us that they want the right to decide.
“Today we have set out the path to deliver it.”
THERE HAS BEEN A PREDICTABLE RESPONSE FROM OPPOSITION PARTIES:
A letter to the Prime Minister has been sent to inform him of the content of the statement and make clear that the Scottish Government is ready and willing to negotiate the terms of a section 30 order.
First Minister lays out her Programme for Government 2021/22
Leading Scotland safely out of the pandemic, urgently confronting climate change, driving a green, fair economic recovery, and boosting opportunities for children and young people are among the core priorities in this year’s Programme for Government (PfG), published yesterday.Oh … and there’s a referendum in there, too …
The programme sets out plans for a record increase in frontline health spending, new legislation for a National Care Service, a system providing low-income families with free childcare before and after school and during holidays, and actions to drive forward Scotland’s national mission to end child poverty.
The programme also includes plans to help secure a just transition to net zero – creating opportunities for new, good and green jobs, making homes easier and greener to heat, and encouraging people to walk, wheel or cycle instead of driving.
Speaking in Parliament, the First Minister said: “This programme addresses the key challenges Scotland faces, and aims to shape a better future.
“It sets out how we will tackle the challenge of Covid, and rebuild from it. It outlines how we will address the deep-seated inequalities in our society. It shows how we will confront with urgency the climate emergency, in a way that captures maximum economic benefit. And it details the steps we will take to mitigate, as far as we can, the damaging consequences of Brexit while offering a better alternative.
“In the face of these challenges, our ambition must be bold. This programme sets out clear plans to lead Scotland out of the greatest health crisis in a century and transform our nation and the lives of those who live here.
“We will deliver a National Care Service; double the Scottish Child Payment; and invest in affordable, energy efficient homes and green travel. We will ensure that businesses have the support, and people have the skills, to succeed in the low carbon economy of the future. We will show global leadership in tackling the climate crisis. And we will offer people an informed choice on Scotland’s future.
“To that end, I can confirm that the Scottish Government will now restart work on the detailed prospectus that will guide the decision. The case for independence is a strong one and we will present it openly, frankly and with confidence and ambition.
“This programme addresses our current reality, but it also looks forward with confidence and ambition to a brighter future. It recognises that out of the many challenges we currently face, a better Scotland – as part of a better world – is waiting to be built.”
Building on the progress from the first 100 days of this government, with the co-operation agreement with the Scottish Green Party at its heart, the PfG sets the scene for the next five years.
Key commitments for over the course of this Parliament include:
increasing frontline health spending by 20%, leading to an increase of at least £2.5 billion by 2026-27
undertaking the biggest public service reform since the founding of the NHS – the creation of a National Care Service – with legislation brought forward by June next year
improving national wellbeing with increased direct mental health investment of at least 25%, with £120 million this year to support the recovery and transformation of services
investing £250 million to tackle the drugs deaths emergency over the next five years
expanding the Scottish Child Payment to under-16s by the end of next year and doubling it to £20 a week as soon as possible after that, with a £520 bridging payment given to every child in receipt of free school meals this year
investing a further £1 billion to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap and providing councils with funding to recruit 3,500 additional teachers and 500 classroom assistants
providing free childcare to low income families before and after school and during holidays, and expanding free early learning and childcare to one and two year olds
investing £100 million over the next three years to support frontline services for preventing violence against women and girls
providing £1.8 billion to make homes easier and greener to heat, as part of a commitment to decarbonise 1 million homes by 2030
ensuring that at least 10% of the total transport budget goes on active travel by 2024-25, helping more people to cycle, wheel or walk instead of drive
delivering a revolution in children’s rights, including across the justice system
supporting a just transition to a low-carbon economy for people and businesses, including a £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray
investing an additional £500 million to support the new, good and green jobs of the future, including by helping people access training
delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 and investing an additional £50 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping
taking forward the democratic mandate for a referendum on independence to be held within this Parliament and, if the Covid crisis is over, within the first half of this Parliament, while providing the people of Scotland with the information they need to make an informed choice on their future.
Commenting on yesterday’s Programme for Government announcement, Chris Birt, Associate Director for Scotland at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said:“Alarm bells should already be ringing in both the Scottish Government and Parliament that we are currently set to miss our child poverty targets, with no clear plan on how to achieve them.
“The Programme for Government published today pushes that plan further down the road, both to the budget later in the year and next year’s Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan.
“Time is running out on the targets. Families on low incomes across Scotland are experiencing growing financial pressure and uncertainty . They will hope the commitment to double the child payment “sooner rather than later” happens very soon and that our national mission to end child poverty gathers urgency and scale.”
The STUC welcomed the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, specifically highlighting the commitments from the First Minister to implement national bargaining in the care sector, additional funding for the health service, gender recognition reform and justice for Scotland’s miners wrongfully arrested in the 1980s.
STUC General Secretary, Roz Foyer said: “Reform of our care sector cannot come quick enough and the STUC will engage fully in this legislation, campaigning for a National Care Service based on sectoral collective bargaining and not for profit delivery.
“The commitment of the First Minister to National Bargaining is therefore very welcome. However, the £800 million additional funding announced over the course of the Parliament is less than a quarter of the expenditure which the Feeley Review said was necessary for the social care sector.
“Yet we still have concerns that the Programme of Government tries too hard be all things to all people. It is simply not credible to raise the levels of investment required to tackle climate change, reduce inequality and create jobs while at the same time boasting about the lowest business taxes in UK and freezing income tax rates for the duration of the Parliament.
“The same lack of ambition is reflected in today’s Scottish Government response to the report of the Just Transition Commission which leaves much to be desired on future job creation and ensuring the burden of climate change is not carried by workers and the less well off.
“Fighting discrimination and inequality is at the heart of trade unions, we know trans people are some of the most disadvantaged and discriminated people in Scotland and the gender recognition bill is therefore extremely welcome in enabling trans people to access their human rights.
“Finally, I welcome the proposed Miners’ Strike Pardon Bill. It has been all too clear for decades that the miners were the victims of a politically inspired political attack and that organs of the state, including the police, were used to repress their legitimate industrial action.
“This Bill will help provide some relief to the thousands of lives were wrecked by wrongful arrest and is a testament to years of campaigning by working class families who refused to give up.”
GMB Scotland Secretary Louise Gilmour said:“The need to tackle the crisis in care is accepted, but the challenge is to end years of exploitation by giving care workers substantial pay increases. That’s how we’ll confront the understaffing crisis and transform the sector.
“It’s why GMB is campaigning for £15 an hour minimum for care workers. The prospect of staff remaining mired in wages of just under or over £10 an hour isn’t credible.
“And there is a growing consensus supporting that view, including among Cabinet Secretaries as the Greens committed to a £15 minimum in their recent manifesto, so we need to make it happen.
“If we are prepared to be bold and deliver proper value for workers across the social care sector then there is a huge opportunity to be grasped, everyone will benefit and Scotland will be fairer for it.”
Joanne Smith, policy and public affairs manager for NSPCC Scotland, said: “Recovery and reform are very much needed as we move forward from the pandemic, and this year’s Programme for Government is the first step in this journey.
“For children in Scotland to have the best start in life, it is vital that all families can access holistic support, where and when they need it, and so we are heartened by the Scottish Government’s announcement of a Whole Family Wellbeing Fund.
“In line with the Promise’s recommendations we would like to see that national spending prioritises early, preventative support for families, therefore stripping out demand for crisis-led services.
“We are also greatly encouraged by the Scottish Government’s commitment to review and redesign the Children’s Hearing System. Through our work with very young children and families in Glasgow, we see the limitations of current justice processes in meeting the distinct needs of infants and their families.
“Given that around a third of children who come into care in Scotland are under the age of five, we need to ensure justice processes are better aligned with infants’ developmental timescales. We look forward to working alongside the Review team to ensure that the rights of infants are upheld throughout the process.”
Mary Glasgow Chief Executive of the charity Children 1st said: “Today’s Programme for Government has rightly prioritised the right of children and their families to know they can access the help and support they need whenever they need it.
“Children 1st have long called for a transformation in the support available to families, which must be based on learning from the – often difficult – experiences of children and their families when they have needed practical, emotional or financial help.
“The proposed £500m investment in a ‘Whole Family Wellbeing Fund’ is a hugely welcome step forward and we are committed to working alongside children and their families, and the Scottish Government, to turn this significant investment into practical action.”
Tracy Black, CBI Scotland Director, said:“With Glasgow hosting COP26 later this year, the Scottish Government is right to focus on its plans for a net zero economy. Yet given the need to cement Scotland’s economic recovery post-pandemic, businesses will feel there ought to have been a greater focus on boosting growth. While there were encouraging mentions of greater access to finance, the devil will be in the detail.
“Firms are already decarbonising their operations, and, by working alongside government, can help urgently transform net zero ambitions into action. Reforming the planning and business rates systems – enabling much needed in investment in low carbon infrastructure – would help achieve ambitious climate targets.
“The First Minister is also right to highlight that COVID hasn’t gone away. Scottish firms have worked tirelessly throughout the crisis to keep staff and customers safe. Businesses are not calling for a rushed return to the workplace, though employers will rightly be speaking with their employees about a gradual return in line with the latest guidance.
“As the economy reopens, skills shortages remain a key concern, so employers will be frustrated not to hear more about plans for upskilling and retraining.
“Business investment is absolutely vital to Scotland’s economic recovery, and the government should do everything in its power to attract – not repel – investment and the very best talent. Ultimately, by working more closely with business to create sustainable economic growth, ministers will be able to achieve their goals of improving people’s living standards and public services.”
The banking organisations, through incompetence, nearly made the country bankrupt but the debt was passed on to the people to shoulder. They had to accept a lot of unemployment, higher prices in the shops, frozen wages and severe cuts to public and social services.
To avoid any resistance, the authorities launched a campaign of diversion and blame. Everyone can remember how different sections of society were blamed in turn: the unemployed for not working, the disabled for being on benefits – all were targets to be blamed.
This went on for many years and people had taken enough of austerity; there was a growing mood for change, calling for the authorities to take the banking industry into public ownership and impose tighter controls over financial institutions.
This fast-growing popular demand was greatly feared by the political elite. It took them quite a while to develop an idea to divert these demands, but after eight years they were successful. It was a continuation of the blame game, but this time not blaming our own people but any and all those coming from Europe – and the idea of a Referendum was born. They concentrated on three main issues: Control, Laws and Migration.
Since the referendum we have lost thousands of people wh o formerly worked in our social services and the NHS: these services are now struggling to keep going.
Most laws from the EU have been beneficial, adding to workers’ rights and conditions of employment. EU laws also protect the environment. The UK Parliament as a law-making body remains in control.
This is the most mentioned issue. For whom are the demanding control? The British people have already said they wanted the banks to be publicly owned and demanded tighter controls on financial institutions. Control is such a loose word that can be manipulated by individuals for the benefit of the few.
The promoters of the referendum conducted a continuous campaign of national ‘brainwashing’. Putting relentless pressure on people is not a new idea, as a look back at recent history will confirm.
But unfortunately nearly 50% of the population were aware of the implications of a break with Europe that is our biggest trader of imports and exports, and closest.
“It is imperative that the UK Government respects those who have exercised their treaty rights and chosen to make a life in Scotland.” – First Minister Nicola SturgeonContinue reading Reassurance sought for EU residents
First Minister hails progress in EU talks but it’s a ‘non’ from France – so much for the Auld Alliance – and Spain
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon held a series of positive meetings with senior figures in Brussels yesterday, but it’s clear there will be many obstacles to overcome if Scotland is to play an active role in Europe following the referendum result.Continue reading Open Doors, Open Minds?
Edinburgh Northern and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson has told EU nationals “you remain welcome here” after Scotland voted overwhelmingly to stay in the European Union last week.Continue reading EUr’e Welcome Here!
Prime Minister is first political casualty of EU Referendum result
Prime Minister David Cameron made a statement in Downing Street following the outcome of the referendum for the UK to leave the European Union:
The country has just taken part in a giant democratic exercise – perhaps the biggest in our history. Over 33 million people – from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar – have all had their say.
We should be proud of the fact that in these islands we trust the people with these big decisions.
We not only have a parliamentary democracy, but on questions about the arrangements for how we are governed, there are times when it is right to ask the people themselves, and that is what we have done.
The British people have voted to leave the European Union and their will must be respected.
I want to thank everyone who took part in the campaign on my side of the argument, including all those who put aside party differences to speak in what they believed was the national interest.
And let me congratulate all those who took part in the Leave campaign – for the spirited and passionate case that they made.
The will of the British people is an instruction that must be delivered. It was not a decision that was taken lightly, not least because so many things were said by so many different organisations about the significance of this decision.
So there can be no doubt about the result.
Across the world people have been watching the choice that Britain has made. I would reassure those markets and investors that Britain’s economy is fundamentally strong.
And I would also reassure Brits living in European countries, and European citizens living here, that there will be no immediate changes in your circumstances. There will be no initial change in the way our people can travel, in the way our goods can move or the way our services can be sold.
We must now prepare for a negotiation with the European Union. This will need to involve the full engagement of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments to ensure that the interests of all parts of our United Kingdom are protected and advanced.
But above all this will require strong, determined and committed leadership.
I am very proud and very honoured to have been Prime Minister of this country for 6 years.
I believe we have made great steps, with more people in work than ever before in our history, with reforms to welfare and education, increasing people’s life chances, building a bigger and stronger society, keeping our promises to the poorest people in the world, and enabling those who love each other to get married whatever their sexuality.
But above all restoring Britain’s economic strength, and I am grateful to everyone who has helped to make that happen.
I have also always believed that we have to confront big decisions – not duck them.
That’s why we delivered the first coalition government in 70 years to bring our economy back from the brink. It’s why we delivered a fair, legal and decisive referendum in Scotland. And why I made the pledge to renegotiate Britain’s position in the European Union and hold a referendum on our membership, and have carried those things out.
I fought this campaign in the only way I know how – which is to say directly and passionately what I think and feel – head, heart and soul.
I held nothing back.
I was absolutely clear about my belief that Britain is stronger, safer and better off inside the European Union, and I made clear the referendum was about this and this alone – not the future of any single politician, including myself.
But the British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path, and as such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction.
I will do everything I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, but I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination.
This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but I do believe it is in the national interest to have a period of stability and then the new leadership required.
There is no need for a precise timetable today, but in my view we should aim to have a new Prime Minister in place by the start of the Conservative party conference in October.
Delivering stability will be important and I will continue in post as Prime Minister with my Cabinet for the next 3 months. The Cabinet will meet on Monday.
The Governor of the Bank of England is making a statement about the steps that the Bank and the Treasury are taking to reassure financial markets. We will also continue taking forward the important legislation that we set before Parliament in the Queen’s Speech. And I have spoken to Her Majesty the Queen this morning to advise her of the steps that I am taking.
A negotiation with the European Union will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and I think it is right that this new Prime Minister takes the decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal and legal process of leaving the EU.
I will attend the European Council next week to explain the decision the British people have taken and my own decision.
The British people have made a choice. That not only needs to be respected – but those on the losing side of the argument, myself included, should help to make it work.
Britain is a special country.
We have so many great advantages.
A parliamentary democracy where we resolve great issues about our future through peaceful debate.
A great trading nation, with our science and arts, our engineering and our creativity respected the world over.
And while we are not perfect, I do believe we can be a model of a multi-racial, multi-faith democracy, where people can come and make a contribution and rise to the very highest that their talent allows.
Although leaving Europe was not the path I recommended, I am the first to praise our incredible strengths.
I have said before that Britain can survive outside the European Union, and indeed that we could find a way.
Now the decision has been made to leave, we need to find the best way.
And I will do everything I can to help.
I love this country – and I feel honoured to have served it.
And I will do everything I can in future to help this great country succeed.
Disaster, devastation, division – or wonderful opportunity?
Scotland says Stay but Britain says Leave
Britons have voted to leave the European Union. With a handful of regions still to declare it became certain at 6am that the Leave campaign has an unassailable lead with 52% of the vote. The nationwide turnout was 72%.Continue reading We’re Leaving: An uncertain new dawn for Britain
