Well done, Nicola Sturgeon! Anyone who had any doubts as to the wisdom in appointing her as the new SNP leader must surely be convinced by now. Be it in her words or deeds, she has already assumed the mantle of leader, and is already steering the party, and the ongoing journey to independence, in the right direction. Her statement regarding the EU referendum, that will almost certainly take place in 2017, is being treated in England as just another piece of trouble making by the Jocks. But it is far more important to the bigger indy picture than that. During the build up to the independence referendum we were constantly reminded that the UK was a family of nations, where every constituent nation had their voice heard. This, of course, is absolute nonsense. The Union is quite simply a case of what England wants, England gets!. The sheer size of England in comparison to the other three countries together makes any sense of fairness a joke. It is quite conceivable that the three Celtic nations will vote to stay in Europe while England will vote to leave. Numbers dictate that we will be out. But if three countries are against the exit then how can this be democratic? The fact is that it isnt democratic, and isnt intended to be. And, of course, Nicola Sturgeon knows this. In stating that each country should deliver a majority to facilitate a Euro exit, Nicola has set in motion the opening moves in the next stage of the indy push. Cameron has already, and not unexpectedly, rejected the idea of each nation having a veto, stating that a simple majority will be the deciding factor. We all know that England will dance to the UKIP tune, and will probably vote to leave the EU. Scotland, who have a one potato UKIP presence and will not be so easily influenced, has just spent months being told by Westminster and big business that independence would lead to a Euro exit, and that that would be a disaster for Scotland. Businesses in Scotland, and the rest of the UK, will recoil in horror at the thought. The influence that these businesses exerted toward a No vote would suddenly become a major boost in the opposite direction. As continued membership of the EU was one of the main conditions of ongoing UK membership, Scots who voted No can justifiably claim a breach of promise (not for the first time, of course). Having lied and cheated their way to victory, and with Labour busy stabbing themselves in the back to the sound of the Birdie Song, Westminster have no more trump cards to play. We all know about the oil, the pensions, the austerity cuts. We have already established that UKIP are about as welcome in Scotland as a reincarnated Maggie Thatcher. There is no common ground with Westminster, or indeed the English electorate, if they choose to follow the UKIP seperatist (remember when WE were the separatists?) agenda. In addition, by staging her mini tour, Nicola is immediately continuing the engagement that the SNP, and other Yes parties, made over the last couple of years. People of all ages are continuing to take an interest in how we are governed. Including the 16 and 17 year olds in the vote could prove to be an ongoing master stroke. By the time the 2017 EU referendum comes around all of the kids will be old enough to participate in a UK vote, whether Cameron likes it or not. And, having sampled a taste of inclusion these young Scots will make themselves heard again. An overwhelming Scottish vote to stay in Europe will be just the blue touchpaper needed to kickstart a renewed, and strengthened, independence surge.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 20:26:56 +0000