‘Godsend for Sturgeon’ Furious Britons say SNP using any excuse to delay referendum
Scotland's SNP labelled 'incompetent and small' by Oliver
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Express.co.uk readers have taken issue with Ian Blackford’s latest comments on IndyRef2, which the SNP have promised after their 2021 Holyrood election win. According to the SNP’s website, they “propose that the referendum should be held once the Covid crisis has passed”, but reports had it is earmarked for 2023.
However, The Westminster SNP leader hinted that the war in Ukraine could push the date for a second vote beyond next year.
Mr Blackford said: “We have got to be respectful of the situation that we are in.
“I want that referendum to take place in a timely manner. I want us to be able to execute the mandate that we have.
“To those that are expressing a desire for us to get on with our job, of course, we will do so, but we have to be mindful of where we are.
“We have to play the ball where it lies just now and the only thing that I’m focusing on today is Ukraine.”
Express readers said Mr Blackford’s latest comments marked “another climbdown” from the SNP on a second independence referendum.
User Susandenham said: “HaHaHa……..it was only a question of time till they found an out by their way of it.
“They KNOW, and have done for ages, that that fabricated mandate they claimed after the May elections was never going to wash.
“Another climbdown by the SNP who never deliver on anything…..even their pet project. So now we can enjoy watching Blackford et al giving us a masterclass on polishing a s***.”
Another user, scotsdodo, said: “Sturgeon doesn’t want independence she’s only interested in Sturgeon.”
More users blasted calls for another independence referendum, referencing the 2014 ballot which saw Scotland vote to remain in the UK by 55 percent to 45 percent.
User Fedupcitizen said: “The polls are NOT evenly split, they consistently show the support for remaining in the Union.
“The majority of the Scottish people do not want another referendum, we have already had one and the result was to stay in the Union.
“Sturgeon knows this and having something to delay her actions without losing face is a godsend. I am Scottish and I am British.”
Another user, Redhill Rover, said: “These people are nothing but an embarrassment to the average scot.
“They get so much media attention, it makes people outside Scotland, think there is mass support for another Indyref, but the reality is, that there isn’t.
“As the current devolved administration, they are making a complete hash of running Scotland. Failure upon failure at every turn. The pandemic and now Putin, has shown the advantages of the union, beyond any doubt.
“The SNP know full well, Independence is doomed, certainly for the near future. Boris won’t permit it, and if they go the court route and fail, it’s all over for Sturgeon and her inept party.”
Former SNP Cabinet Secretary Kenny MacAskill blasted Mr Blackford over the climbdown, and said the Ukraine crisis demonstrated the potential benefits of Scottish independence.
He said: “This is just the latest of many excuses from Mr Blackford.
“He’s promised a referendum the following year on an annual basis for quite some time now.
“This is just the latest attempt to justify the total inactivity of the SNP in pushing for independence.
“The war brings into sharp focus why independence is necessary for Scotland.
“The risk of an escalation sees Scotland unable to remove weapons of mass destruction from its shores.
“The humanitarian crisis that’s unfolding sees Scotland impotent to play its part in addressing the escalating refugee crisis.
“And finally the economic fallout from the conflict will see the cost of living crisis morph and increase the poverty many Scots are facing.
“Just as the powers of an independent nation are required to address the consequences of Covid, they’re also vital for Scotland in the world created by the invasion of Ukraine.”
It comes after the SNP and Scottish Greens revealed they are drawing up a joint Government prospectus on independence that will be put to Scots in 2023.
Alistair Jones, associate politics professor at De Montfort University in Leicester, said to Express.co.uk: “If there is a successful move to Scottish independence, it is most likely that Scotland will have to take on part of the UK’s burden of debt.
“What is not clear, is how much that would be, or how it could be done.
“There could be an annual payment to help in the servicing of the UK national debt and for that to be in place for an extended number of years.
“This could be something like £10billion per year, but that will depend upon the agreed legacy sum that the Scots would owe, and the length of time of repayment.”
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