Scottish government launches new independence campaign

LONDON

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday launched a fresh campaign for Scotland's independence from the UK.

Speaking at a news conference in Edinburgh, Sturgeon unveiled the first set of new papers, titled Wealthier, Happier, Fairer: Why Not Scotland?

Insisting that she has a clear mandate for the independence bid as the majority of Scots voted for her Scottish National Party (SNP) in the last election, Sturgeon said Scotland is being “held back” under the control of Westminster.

Sturgeon said Scottish people are suffering from a worsening cost of living crisis, low growth and increasing inequality and all the country’s problems are worse because Scotland is not independent.

"Do we stay tied to a UK economic model that consigns us to relatively poor economic and social outcomes which are likely to get worse, not better outside the European Union, or do we instead lift our eyes with hope and optimism and take inspiration from comparable counties across Europe?," she questioned.

She said it is now time to set out and debate a new case for independence, adding that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has "no democratic authority in Scotland and no moral majority anywhere.”

"Brexit has ripped us out of the EU and the single market against our will with massive damage to trade, living standards and public services," she said.

The first minister also said that Scotland, with the rest of the UK, may face a trade war with the EU as the UK government threatens to breach international law, referring to the bill published on Monday to unilaterally change Northern Ireland Protocol.

Sturgeon has said since the UK government started break-up negotiations with the EU that her country’s voice was ignored and Scotland would eventually become independent, insisting on a second referendum.

However, such a vote needs to get a green light from the central government in London but Johnson has been rejecting such a vote.

The first referendum that asked Scottish voters whether they would want to break free from the UK was held in 2014, a mere two years before the historic EU referendum.

The government under then-Prime Minister David Cameron pledged a better understanding for Scots from Westminster and "extensive new powers" for the Scottish Parliament.

The SNP, the party that led the independence campaign, had full confidence that the country would survive and even be better off outside the UK, strengthened by the nation’s oil fields in the North Sea, world-famous malt whiskey, textile, jet engines, and various banking and financial services.

But Scots rejected separation from the rest of the UK, as just over 2 million votes (55.3%) were cast to remain part of the kingdom, while 1.62 million (44.7%) people voted for independence.

Johnson and the Scottish Tories have repeatedly rejected the idea of indyref2 – as the possible vote has become known – calling the 2014 referendum a “once in a lifetime” event that proved Scots prefer the union.