DO you remember those early summer days of the General Election campaign of 2017?
It feels like a lifetime ago. Everything we thought we knew… everything we know now… crazy heady days.
Well, back then you’ll remember Theresa May chose to campaign by hiding away in small rooms, devoid of real people, using only the same few catchphrases again and again and again. Whenever she was asked about independence, she would always replied “Now is not the time”. It didn’t matter what the question, if the word independence was anywhere near it, “now is the not the time” would be what the Prime Minister said.
When the First Minister wrote to May at the end of March following Holyrood backing her calls for a Section 30 order, she said the SNP government agreed “that now is not the time for a referendum”.
Instead, it would be held sometime between the autumn of next year and the spring of 2019 when the UK Government had agreed the terms of the divorce with Europe and the outline of a future trade agreement.
So how does yesterday’s “reset” change that? Well, it puts everything back a bit. Some of our readers weren’t happy at using the word “delay” in our online headline yesterday, but the practicalities are that Sturgeon and the SNP have delayed the legislation.
The First Minister doesn’t have a Section 30 order. She asked and Downing Street said no.
What yesterday’s statement did, was effectively commit Sturgeon and the SNP to not asking Downing Street again for another year or so.
What does that mean for the actual timing of the next referendum? Well that’s a big question. The Greens suggested that meant the vote now couldn’t practically be held until after Britain has left the EU.
But if the last month, and the last year, and the last three years, have taught us anything, it’s that the world is very unpredictable.
In the next 12 months it’s quite possible we could see a new Prime Minister, another election, David Davis crashing us out of the EU without a deal, or negotiations being extended to last another year or two.
That’s the problem with Brexit – it’s getting in the way of the day job.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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