Draft bill for Indyref 2 published by Scottish Government
The draft Scottish Independence Referendum Bill states the Scottish Parliament will be responsible for deciding the timing of another vote
The Scottish Government has published its plans for another independence referendum.
The draft Scottish Independence Referendum Bill states the Scottish Parliament will be responsible for deciding the timing of another vote but insists dealing with the pandemic continues to be the priority.
Constitution Secretary Michael Russell also says there can be no justification for Westminster to block a referendum - if a pro-independence majority’s elected to Holyrood in May.
The draft bill also proposes voters be asked the same question that they were in 2014 - Should Scotland be an independent country?
It suggests that the voting rights in the referendum be extended to match the franchise for Scottish Parliament and local government elections in Scotland, allowing 16-year-olds to take part in the ballot along with foreign nationals who have voting rights in devolved elections.
With the next Holyrood elections due to take place in just over six weeks time, Mr Russell insisted there would be no “democratic justification” for Westminster to continue to block a second referendum if pro-independence parties win a majority of seats.
He said: “If there is a majority in the Scottish Parliament after the forthcoming election for an independence referendum, there can be no democratic justification whatsoever for any Westminster Government to seek to block a post-pandemic referendum.”
The current Scottish Government, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, has already made clear it would want a referendum to happen in the first half of the next Holyrood term.
But pro-UK parties hit out at the Scottish Government for publishing the Bill during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, said: “It is beyond the comprehension of most Scots that Nicola Sturgeon considers this to be a priority.
“Scotland continues to be gripped by the global pandemic and even once normality slowly returns, the shockwaves will be felt for years to come.”
He insisted the motivation for publishing the draft Bill was “as much to do with distracting people from the Sturgeon-Salmond scandal”.
The Tory leader added: “A responsible government would be entirely focused on Scotland's post-pandemic recovery, but Sturgeon and her ministers have become detached from reality and the priorities of ordinary families.”
Similarly, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: “We are still in a pandemic. Thousands have lost their lives, thousands more have lost their job.
“Reasonable people will think that this is the wrong moment to be pushing a referendum.”
But the pro-independence Scottish Green Party welcomed the draft Bill, with co-leader Lorna Slater stating: “Scotland's future must be in the hands of those who live and work in Scotland, and the Scottish Greens are asking people to vote like our future depends on it this May.