Scottish Parliament Passes Motion In Favor Of Referendum On Independence

By Karla Adam, Washington Post

The Scottish Parliament voted in favor of seeking another referendum on independence, setting the stage for a standoff between the British prime minister and the first minister of Scotland.

The vote was originally slated for last Wednesday but was postponed after the deadly terrorist attack in London.

The motion in the semiautonomous Scottish Parliament was widely expected to pass, with the minority Scottish National Party government and the Scottish Greens voting in favor.

Advocates for Scottish independence now have parliamentary authority for a referendum. But holding a binding referendum still requires approval from Westminster.

Downing Street hasn’t ruled out a second referendum, but it has rejected the proposed timetable. The motion calls for a second vote by spring 2019.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland and leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, wants the referendum held within two years. In such a scenario, Britain would be engaged in negotiations to leave the European Union while, simultaneously, Scotland voted in a referendum on independence from Britain.

“Scotland’s future should be in Scotland’s hands,” Sturgeon said before the parliamentary motion.

Sturgeon met with British Prime Minister Theresa May to discuss the upcoming Brexit negotiations and the possibility of a second referendum on Scottish independence. A picture of the women — two of Britain’s most senior politicians — featured on the front page of the Daily Mail next to the headline “Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!” An accompanying article included breathless commentary on their legs, provoking a furious backlash and accusations about sexism.

During the talks in Glasgow, Sturgeon said, May made clear that the details of Britain’s divorce deal would be known within two years.

“When that deal emerges, I think people in Scotland should have an informed choice about whether that’s the path they want to take, or whether they want to take the path of becoming an independent country,” she told the BBC.

For her part, May has repeatedly said that “now is not the time” for another ballot. “Now is the time when we should be pulling together, not hanging apart,” she told reporters after her meeting with Sturgeon.

May will trigger Article 50, the formal mechanism that will officially kick off the process of Britain withdrawing from the E.U. Divorce talks between the United Kingdom and the E.U. are expected to last two years.

Sturgeon dropped a bombshellthis month when she said that she would seek a new referendum.

In 2014, Scotland voted 55 percent in favor of staying in the United Kingdom. At the time, Scottish leaders said it was a “once in a generation” vote. But Sturgeon has argued that last year’s referendum on the E.U. — in which a majority of Scottish voters opted to remain in the E.U. and a majority of English voters opted to leave — represents a “material change in circumstances” and that Scotland risks being taken out of the E.U. against its will.

Pollsters say support for Scottish independence is roughly where it was at in 2014.

Scotland is “split down the middle” on whether to have a referendum and on the outcome, said Mark Diffley, research director at Ipsos MORI, adding that both sides are hoping the ongoing debate will “shift the dial.”

Sturgeon is expected to send a letter to May noting that the Scottish Parliament has backed her call for a second referendum.