CAMPAIGNERS are calling on Scots to lead the pressure for a People’s Vote on Brexit in the new year for “auld lang syne” and for the future.
Scotland for a People’s Vote – which is campaigning for a UK-wide referendum with the option to remain in the EU – say people and politicians should get behind the move.
However, while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon backs the campaign, senior SNP figures such as Pete Wishart are vehemently opposed and believe the party was bounced into supporting the policy at the autumn conference.
Recent polling indicates that two-thirds of people in Scotland want a People’s Vote and 70% would vote to remain in the EU. A second referendum has already received the support of parties and parliamentarians representing around 70% of Scottish MPs, and has been endorsed by Scotland’s Parliament and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
Former Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz, who is chair of the European Movement in Scotland, yesterday said polling showed Scots were very much in favour of a second vote and could lead the way in the UK.
“If the rest of the UK can catch up with where Scotland already is, we can achieve a People’s Vote and a democratic mandate to save our place in Europe,” he said.
“At the time of year when we look both backwards and forwards, Auld Lang Syne is sung the world over as the international anthem of amity.
“It’s clear that people in Scotland want to stay in Europe, not just for ‘auld lang syne’ but for our future prosperity, quality of life and opportunities for all as European citizens.”
READ MORE: Labour are failing the UK with their cowardice on Brexit
It was revealed at the weekend that anti-Brexit MPs at Westminster are considering paralysing Parliament in an attempt to force a second vote.
Remain campaign group Best for Britain want MPs to reject a no-deal Brexit and Theresa May’s exit compromise. A report for the group points out that MPs could potentially stop any new laws being passed as well as halt the collection of corporation and income tax by adding an amendment to the Finance Bill.
In a forward to the report, Tory MP and former Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, pictured above, urged Parliament to give voters a “final say” through another referendum.
He said that the idea that the Prime Minister’s exit deal could be renegotiated or that the “the UK would enjoy any form of benefit from Brexit” were “irrational fantasies”.
May has said she will hold a parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal by January 21 after pulling out of a vote before Christmas when it became clear she would lose. Dozens of Tory backbenchers and the DUP have vowed to align with opposition parties to vote the deal down.
May is now seeking assurances from the EU on the deal, particularly on whether the UK will be held indefinitely to a customs union “backstop” in Northern Ireland.
Along with Wishart, the SNP’s Kenneth Gibson, Angus MacNeil and former Cabinet minister Alex Neil have said the party’s support for another Brexit referendum is a huge tactical error. They argue it will set a precedent for a second independence referendum and say the party was “bounced” into supporting the policy after the First Minister announced in a television interview that SNP MPs would back the move if it came to a vote in the House of Commons.
READ MORE: Pete Wishart: This is why backing a People’s Vote is a bad idea
The First Minister has said backing a second EU referendum would not mean there would need to be a confirmatory vote in the event of a Yes indyref2 result.
She says the need for a second EU vote stems from a lack of detail given to voters in 2016 which would not be the case in a future independence vote.
An SNP spokesperson said: “We have made it clear that we would push strongly for any second EU referendum to have safeguards to ensure Scotland’s voice is protected in the event of Scotland voting remain again while the UK as a whole voted to leave. This position was agreed by SNP conference.
“Scotland’s overwhelming vote to remain in 2016 – by far the most decisive vote of any of the UK nations – has been completely ignored, which underlines how Westminster completely fails to represent or protect Scotland’s vital national interests.”
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