Salmond’s glee as he warns of new indyref vote in two years
ALEX Salmond yesterday launched a rallying call for nationalists as events were held across the country to mark the two-year anniversary of the independence referendum.
The former First Minister was the headline speaker at the relaunch of the Scottish Independence Convention, a grassroots campaign for another referendum, resurrected two years to the day since Scotland voted No in 2014.
Hundreds of supporters had paid £5 to cram into St Luke’s music and arts venue, in the Calton area of Glasgow, for the event.
Mr Salmond was given a standing ovation as he took to the stage to insist a new vote was on the cards.
The SNP foreign affairs spokesman said: ‘I think in something like two years time, things will come to the crunch again.
‘Two years isn’t an enormous time in politics to prepare because this time we have to win. We have to win for Scotland.
‘What’s opening up at Westminster is political isolation, spendthrift militarism and inevitable economic decline.
‘We can do much better than that. The symbols of that future at Westminster are there for all to see.
‘Westminster, the palace, is to be renovated at a cost of £4billion going on £10billion.
‘Hinkley Point, that great triumph of British, Chinese, French technology is going ahead at the cost of £30-50billion.
‘HS2 that fast rail that will spread the country from London to Birmingham is going ahead at the cost of £30-50billion.
‘And the daddy of them all, Trident missiles – £200billion over the next 30 years for the next generation of weapons of mass destruction.
‘For goodness sake, if we can’t offer an alternative prospectus that beats that, then we should be ashamed of ourselves.’
Mr Salmond insisted that his successor, Nicola Sturgeon, is ‘sincere’ in her pledge to explore options to keep Scotland both in the UK and European Union – but predicted that her efforts will ultimately lead to independence.
Mr Salmond said Scotland is ‘on the brink of a new campaign to assert our nationhood’.
Speaking after the Convention, he said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon has said that she is going to look at maintaining Scotland’s position within Europe, however that can be done.
‘I think she will discharge that mandate, I think she will make the offers to embed Scotland within the European negotiations.
‘I’m quite certain that Nicola Sturgeon is sincere in putting that forward – of course she is – but what I am estimating is what Westminster is likely to do.
‘They might prove me wrong, there may be a surprise, but it would be the first time in my political life that Westminster ever did anything for Scotland unless they had to do it.
‘Therefore, my anticipation is they won’t recognise Scotland, the vote in Scotland to stay within the European context, and then we will be talking about being engaged in another independence referendum.’
He added: ‘The Brexit vote is not the reason for Scottish independence, but of course it is the mandate and the majority in the Scottish parliament.
‘Given the total vacuum of ideas at Westminster about their own future, never mind Scotland’s, I think the movement is starting again to bring matters to the touch, and this time I think Yes will win.’
Mr Salmond was joined by a variety of acts at the event including singer Eddi Reader, author Lesley Riddoch and fellow MP Tommy Sheppard, as well as a comedy troupe.
Thousands of independence supporters also gathered on Glasgow Green yesterday for a political rally run by a group calling itself The Yes Movement.
A pro-independence rally was also held in Oban, Argyll, where more than 100 flag-flying supporters marched through the town from the Corran Halls to Station Square.
Among the speakers were Oban High School pupils Daniel Speirs and Sarah Carlin, both 17.
Miss Carlin told the crowd: ‘We want a country that has been shaped by the people who live in it.’
Other events took place in Inverness and a rally is also planned for Edinburgh later in the week.