FX.co ★ Scotland could gain independence at second attempt

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is pushing ahead with the idea of a new referendum. The question is whether Scotland should remain part of the UK or become an independent country. The policymaker stated that she intends to win over voters when she enters the election campaign running for a second term as the First Minister.

In case the Scots decide to extend her authority, she is going to forge ahead with the thorny issue for Scotland. She advocates for Scotland’s independence from London. According to recent polls among the Scots, more and more people are getting serious about Scotland’s exit from the Kingdom. Such surveys assured the Scottish National Party (SNP) led by Nicola Sturgeon to set about discussing various options for withdrawal.

Meanwhile, The Sunday Times released results of the latest poll where 49% of the population would prefer independence and 44% flatly rejected such prospects. So, advocates for the exit are taking the lead with a narrow margin. Interestingly, nearly 42% of the pollees believe that Scotland’s battle with the corona pandemic would be more successful outside the Kingdom. On the other hand, 23% of the Scots reckon that they would hardly cope with the corona crisis without London’s support.

People express opposite viewpoints on belonging to the EU. So, 53% of the respondents would welcome Scotland’s re-entrance to the EU. 31% do not see any sense of being part of the EU. However, the survey brings about the essential conclusion. The Scottish National Party (SNP) is likely to win a landslide victory at the parliamentary election in May 2021that makes policies and priorities of Scotland self-evident.

The SNP headed by Nicola Sturgeon presses for holding a second referendum on Scotland’s sovereignty. The weighty argument for this event is the discontent within the population over London’s unwillingness to adjust the Scots’ opinion for its policies. Indeed, in 2016, the majority of the Scots voted for the UK remaining within the EU. Through the referendum, Nicola Sturgeon aims to ensure Scotland’s independence that will pave the way for her to apply to the EU for rejoining at least part of the Kingdom.

Nevertheless, the First Minister has to confront serious rivals, including the British Premier. Boris Johnson insists that it is too early to bring about a new referendum on Scotland’s sovereignty. Back in 2014, Scotland already held such a referendum when most Scots voted against leaving the UK, albeit with a narrow margin.