A LOT of weight is being pushed about with regard to the Section 30 order allegedly required before Scotland can have its independence referendum. Keith Brown has expressed his preference for the referendum and lord knows how many Yessers are screaming for one. Westminster is insisting that Scotland’s people do not want another referendum. I have not seen any evidence of that. Theresa May and her buddy Jeremy Hunt have insisted that the UK Government will not grant a Section 30.

Referendums, just like the one David Cameron had for his European Union vote, need not necessarily be binding. They can be exploratory to ascertain an answer to a question. Scotland’s independence for example. Cameron decided to make his legally binding, being prime minister and all that, whereas an independence referendum might just be used to ascertain the question put to the Scottish voting population as to whether it wants to stay attached to the United Kingdom union of nations or to return to its 1707 independent nation once again. Then there is the piece of legislation created by Westminster at the request of Scotland in 2018 called “Claim of Right”. This was passed by the Westminster Parliament without any objections. Maybe the government and opposition were enjoying a glass of sherry or port in the Strangers Bar and missed it all. It does seem as if some MPs might be unaware of this piece of legislation which acknowledges the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine its own government. Namely, one elected by Scotland for Scotland and by Scotland’s people. In addition to this, the Scottish Parliament has a mandate of its own making to hold a referendum anyway. So no problem there if used as a means to an end without being bound by the response. Scotland has learnt a good deal of information and awareness since 2014. It has learnt new tricks as well as recognising the old ones posed by Westminster last time around. Scotland is ready and waiting, its Yes activists are biting at the bit, and the SNP Government is about to break open its independence war chest.

Alan Magnus-Bennett
Fife

JUST a few thoughts on a referendum: my first experience with the SNP came in 1966.We were living in Peterhead and there were established SNP Branches in the North East – I remember Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Ellon, Turriff, Central Buchan, Rosehearty, New Pitsligo, Maud, New Deer and Auchnagatt, and Inverstcairn.

I list these names as the movement was up and running strongly more than 50 years ago. We knew about Dr Robert McIntyre’s by-election win in Motherwell in 1945. Things peaked when Winnie Ewing won Hamilton in 1967, an outstanding victory. Come 1970 and we lost Hamilton, but Donald Stewart won the Western Isles, the SNP’s first General Election victory. In 1973 Margo MacDonald won the Glasgow Govan by election; she lost this in 1974 but we gained seven seats that election.

Labour bowed to pressure and called a referendum – in a move never carried out in any country in the world before nor since – of putting in a 40% rule so although we won that referendum Prime Minister Jim Callaghan allowed the dead to vote, or to have their not voting to be classed as No votes – democracy in action. This precipitated a vote of No confidence, which Callaghan lost by one vote. In the subsequent General Election the SNP lost nine seats, and the independence cause was set back again – and Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. And all this time, unknown to us, billions of pounds worth of oil was hidden from us.

As political life moved on Thatcher lost and John Major became Prime Minister; he in turn lost and Tony Blair took over for Labour; he felt obliged to the late John Smith, and he allowed a Devolution Referendum. This one succeeded and a devolved assembly was created. The first two Parliaments were ruled by a Labour/Liberal coalition. In 2007 the SNP won the election, by having one more seat than Labour. The Liberals refused to even talk to the SNP unless we agreed to abandon independence!

In 2011, the SNP had an absolute majority, which the voting system was created to make impossible. Alex Salmond bargained for and got an independence referendum; the polls fluctuated and showed briefly a majority for Yes. The Better Together crowd imported Cameron, Clegg and Osborne and, together with Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling, Scotland lost the referendum. In the subsequent General Election the SNP gained 56 seats.

All this shows that the SNP has become stronger, fighting back after setbacks; there is no doubt that Westminster is in toxic disarray, but they are determined to keep hold of Scotland. We must still have independence and the cries from the Unionists must be ignored. There is no easy, quick fix.

When the Treaty of Union was signed, Westminster said “we have cotched Scotland and will not let her go”, we exist to disprove that.

Jim Lynch
Edinburgh