Landslide
Triumphant Sturgeon declares indyref2 ‘will of the country’
NICOLA Sturgeon has insisted another independence referendum is the “will of the country” as the SNP narrowly missed out on achieving an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament by just one seat.
The First Minister said there is “no democratic justification whatsoever for Boris Johnson or anyone else” to block another vote.
Pro-independence parties now hold 72 of Holyrood’s 129 seats, after the SNP gained one and the Greens celebrated a record result.
However, John Curtice, the polling guru and political commentator, said the result would leave the nation divided on the constitution once again.
He said: “In the aftermath of the Scottish Parliament election, there will doubtless be attempts by both sides of the constitutional debate to claim that their side of the argument is the more popular.
“However, it looks as though this is not a debate that either side can win.
“In truth, the only safe conclusion one can draw from these results is that Scotland is indeed divided down the middle on the constitutional question.”
In her televised victory speech, Ms Sturgeon said: “It is a commitment made to the people by a majority of the MSPs have been elected to our national parliament.
“It is the will of the country. “Given that outcome, there is simply no democratic justification whatsoever for Boris Johnson or anyone else seeking to block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future.”
If the request is rejected, Ms Sturgeon said, “it will demonstrate conclusively that the UK is not a partnership of equals and that – astonishingly – Westminster no longer sees the UK as a voluntary union of nations”.
She added: “That in itself would be a very powerful argument for independence.”
The win by the SNP, the fourth consecutive victory for the party, saw more votes cast for them in local constituencies than in any other election since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament.
However Boris Johnson, and the Scottish Conservatives, have said that another referendum should not take place at this time.
Last night, Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservatives leader, said his party had “stopped an SNP majority and another referendum”.
He said: “Against the odds and against most of the polls, the Scottish Conservatives have won 31 seats, more votes than ever before and our highest-ever vote share.
“While other pro-UK parties lost seats, the Scottish Conservatives fought the SNP hard all over Scotland and took them on. We have cemented our position as Scotland’s biggest opposition party. “
He accused Ms Sturgeon of “stoking division” and said: “Within hours, she has broken her word to voters and is already demanding another referendum.
“The Scottish Conservatives will keep our promise.
“Our promise was that a vote for the Scottish Conservatives would be a vote to stop an SNP majority – and in so doing stop Indyref2 and get the focus back 100% on the recovery from Covid.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he would not support another referendum, or independence, but his focus was solely on recovery from coronavirus as opposed to constitutional arguments.
Meanwhile, the pro-independence Green party celebrated a record result at the elections, winning eight seats including its first Central Scotland MSP Gillian Mackay.
Patrick Harvie, the party’s co-Leader, said the Greens would have a “significant impact” on Scotland’s future. Fellow leader Lorna Slater, a new Lothian MSP, added: “While other parties focused on short-term tactical voting, the Scottish Greens conducted a positive campaign on a green recovery and tackling the climate crisis. It is clear that we need to start working on a new greener future for our country, and part of that must be a referendum on how Scotland is governed.”