Since Britain voted to leave the EU almost five years ago, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been presenting a picture of a united front wanting to achieve independence. Most recently, the Scottish National Party (SNP) leader even claimed the Covid crisis may have boosted support for leaving the Union. Ms Sturgeon said Scots had "looked to their own" leaders at a time of crisis - suggesting that her administration's handling of the pandemic had made people consider the "benefits" of a breakaway state. She insisted: "People have, at a time of crisis, looked to their own government here in Scotland to lead. "I think what we have seen is that natural inclination of people to look to their own democratically-elected government. And perhaps that has made people think about the benefit of self-government, and it may well be that that is having some kind of impact in the polls." Ms Sturgeon's comments came as the latest Panelbase poll showed pro-independence candidates on course to win a clear majority in May's Holyrood elections - a majority the First Minister would claim as a mandate for indyref2. However, a recent 2000 person mega-poll shows support for the Union remains on a knife-edge. The poll commissioned by Lord Ashcroft found 51 percent backed the UK compared to 49 percent in favour of independence. The figures could be problematic for Ms Sturgeon. If the 32 council areas vote as differently as they did seven years ago, the First Minister could risk tearing Scotland apart. The overall result of the 2014 independence referendum was slightly wider than predicted with 55 percent No to 45 percent Yes. However, a map detailing the strength of 2014's Yes/No vote across the nation shows the split varied greatly across areas. The closest result was Inverclyde with 50.1 No to 49.9 percent Yes. The firmest No vote was Orkney where 67.2 percent voted against independence, followed by Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway. Dundee was the most pro-Yes with 57.4 percent, followed by West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow, which has an electorate of half a million people. This means that even if the SNP successfully achieved independence, certain regions could end up way more disappointed than others. In September, Orkney Islands Council said they would look at options to potentially become independent from Scotland with a number of choices on the table. Council leader James Stockan said that the islands could be governed as a Crown dependency similar to Jersey. He said: "We want to seek our opportunity as a unique part of the UK that we could do something different if we wished. All constitutional matters ultimately rest with Westminster, so the question is, we would need to make sure that is written into any future referendum." It came after Shetland Island councillors also voted 18 to two in favour of a motion to formally explore options "for achieving financial and political self-determination". In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Ronald MacDonald, research professor of macroeconomics and international finance at Glasgow University's Adam Smith Business School, claimed their bid for independence would undoubtedly complicate things for the SNP. He said: "Oil is still significant but not as significant as it was 10 years ago, or as it was in 2014. It is going to continue to be less important going forward. It is more what it signals rather than the economics of it. Also, it would also signal to other parts of Scotland that if they don't vote for Scottish independence, maybe they could be separate and enclosed within Scotland. Areas from the border to the North East may not want Scottish independence." Mr MacDonald added: "It could be a very important national sovereignty issue."
Daily Express
Comments