Nicola Sturgeon to resume drive for Scottish independence despite promise to wait for change in public opinion

The SNP’s decision to focus on building support for independence is markedly different from cautious approach it took last November [Image: Russell Cheyne/Reuters].

Clearly she couldn’t wait for a change in public opinion so she’s going to try to force it.

Nicola Sturgeon will spearhead a renewed drive to build support for Scottish independence this summer, pledging to turn the 45% who voted to leave the UK in the 2014 referendum into “a strong and positive majority”.

To a rapturous reception from about 3,000 delegates at the Scottish National party’s spring conference in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon, the party leader and first minister cautioned supporters: “We will not achieve our dream of independence just by wishing that the outcome of the referendum had been different – or wishing that we could do it all again next week.”

With just seven weeks to go before May’s Scottish parliament elections, she said: “We will achieve independence only when we persuade a majority of our fellow citizens that it is the best future for our country.”

The first minister appeared to put the brakes on moves towards a second independence referendum at the party’s main conference last November by declaring that the Scottish government would hold fire until “strong and consistent evidence” emerged of a change in public opinion.

Source: Nicola Sturgeon to resume drive for Scottish independence | Politics | The Guardian

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17 thoughts on “Nicola Sturgeon to resume drive for Scottish independence despite promise to wait for change in public opinion

  1. Terry Davies

    disrupting the tory policies, spearheading unity of the opposition to create a division between westminster parties and a vote of no confidence in the tory government would be beneficial for her too.

  2. Barry

    I thought that it was the expats who were mainly in favour of leaving and the Scots living in Scotland who wanted to stay. I used to be worried about them leaving but I’m pretty sure most English would say g.

  3. mohandeer

    Under the emergence of JC and McDonnell’s vision of economic and fiscal responsibility it is quite likely that many Labour members who went over to the other side are now thinking that maybe they should wait and see. Sturgeon could well be worried that the longer “Corbynomics” has exposure, the less likely she will have the votes she needs. It could also be that because polls are showing a slight trend towards Brexit that Scots will vote out of the UK in order to stay in the EU. It’s a case of take your pick.

  4. STEVEN MCGUIRE

    can u blame us in scotland for wanting independence who in their right mind would want a goverment like this to govern you hammer the poor and disabled give the rich tax breaks the SNP i think will call for another independence and i think scotland will vote for it the tories will destroy the uk and the spirit of the people

  5. Harry

    My view of Nicola Sturgeon is that she is more or less a Tory whatever label she wears. It seemed to me that the Tories’ smog of disinformation about the Scottish exit from the Union, was engineered to increase the popularity of the SNP as a strategy to prevent Labour getting enough seats in Scotland to facilitate the ongoing tragedy of another Tory/Bankers administration. Well it worked didn’t it? Now we see the poor dying of the most heinous politics that I have ever witnessed over my nearly 70 years, in an effort to save the Bretton woods and the Petrodollar fit-up. Have you seen the new dollar? looks oddly like the Euro, it is issued under, apparently, the name of the US Corporation with a different capital letter…Nudge nudge, wink wink. The old Dollar died of debt, but it is essential to keep the dollar going until Russia brought to heel. How else can a country indebted to the tune (officially) of almost $20 trillion maintain its hegemonic bases around a thousand of them across the world. So Sturgeon is just one more NWO apparachik, who will have revived this issue for a reason (helping ‘call me Dave’ get some distractions going as the bad news about the EU is creeping out).
    Though this move by Juncker is the first proper response I have seen to Ukraine:-

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/president-of-the-european-commission-jean-claude-juncker-damns-obamas-plan-for-ukraine/5513708

    Now if he does the same for Turkey I will have just a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

  6. Joan Edington

    This is a rather misleading headline. Firstly there was no “promise”. There was a personal opinion of Alex Salmond that has been misused by Westminster and the press for 18 months, probably as a reaction to the use of the “vow”. Secondly, Sturgeon will still not hold a referendum without public opinion looking to be behind independence. There is nothing in her speech that says that. That the SNP will continue to try and get that opinion is surely no scandalous shock, since it is the main aim of the party. She made it clear there will be no “browbeating” and they will listen carefully to the concerns of 2014 “no” voters. By the way, this was a party conference. Name me any party where the leader doesn’t make a fiery speech that their members want to hear.

    1. Mike Sivier Post author

      Would you not say the “triple lock” she placed on future independence was a promise? I got my information here – http://stv.tv/news/politics/316547-bbc-debate-sturgeon-puts-triple-lock-on-scots-independence-referendum/ but there appear to be plenty of other sources because she mentioned it in a televised debate.
      She never said she would try to change public opinion herself – just that it would have to change. Therefore her announcement that the SNP is going to work on changing people’s minds is new – and, in my opinion, sinister. The SNP has a reputation for being loose with the truth, you know.

      1. Joan Edington

        I’m not sure that I would call this sinister since, as I said in mny original post, independence is the raison d’etre of the SNP and everyone knows that. Sturgeon still backs a triple-lock as she did in that old discussion. “No” voters and non-Scots can sound as outraged as they like but why do they expect a party to stop campaigning for their aims? The “No” voters kinow what they can do about it if they don’t like it.They can vote for another party.

      2. Mike Sivier Post author

        Okay, so who’s campaigning against independence while the SNP is pushing for it? And what dirty tricks will the SNP use – and accuse – in this new campaign?
        It seems to me that this is an attempt to win the argument while nobody is putting the other point of view.

  7. Dez

    She better hurry up before the oil wells values fluctuate wildly or SNP impacts start hitting home. I guess I would not be alone in thinking I knew she could not wait any length of time before going for it again. Politicians doncha luv em.

  8. Joan Edington

    My comment on this post does not attack you. Is there a reason you leave my comments un-moderated?

    1. Mike Sivier Post author

      Yes. I have to check your assertions against the facts. Sometimes this means a delay – especially when the blog is particularly busy (as it is now) and or I have other commitments (as I do now).

      1. Joan Edington

        This seems strange behaviour for a blog. If you are saying that you never moderate a comment that you, personally, have not been able to check out, then there should be several comments on many of your posts that should be left off as well. By all means check anything out, if I am wrong then you should say so, as you frequently do. By hiding my posts from other people, you are not giving them the chance to read and maybe refute any of my comments. I would have thought that would have saved you some of your valuable time. A decent blog should allow open discussion, not censor on a whim if the writer doesn’t agree with the sentiment of a comment/er.

      2. Mike Sivier Post author

        Would you have me allow inaccurate information to affect the perceptions of other readers, if I had a doubt about it?

      3. Joan Edington

        Yes. That’s what debate is all about. I’m perfectly happy for anyone to call me out on anything I say. You do frequently. That’s the manner of blogs. Anyway, it seems one rule for some and another for others. I’d struggle to count the number of times you you have asked people to supply proof of statements, without hiding their comments from other readers.

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