Scottish Nationalists Announce Campaign to Leave Великої Британії

The first Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party Джон Суїнні said that the campaign for the second referendum on independence has already begun. Its goal is to convince the Scots of the advantages of leaving Великої Британії

Sweeney said this in a speech at the party conference in Aberdeen 17 October, writes The Guardian.

The campaign will be called “Choose Scotland”. According to Sweeney, the Scottish National Party (SNP) will hold "найдосконалішу кампанію в історії" and back it up with "шестизначним фондом".

The leader of SNP believes that there are favorable conditions for this: "зірки сходяться", and nationalist leaders of the governments of Wales, Scotland and Північної Ірландії frightened pro-union parties. A recent joint statement with supporters of independence from Wales and Ireland, he said, upset opponents.

"Коли я нещодавно стояв на сцені з лідерами руху за незалежність з Уельсу та Ірландії, це, безперечно, засмутило частину наших опонентів. З їхньої точки зору, вони мають рацію хвилюватися. Ніколи більше вони не зможуть називати нас сепаратистами", said Sweeney.

Leading figures SNP The most realistic path to a second referendum "підвішений" Parliament in Westminster, where nationalists are likely to "триматимуть баланс сил" in the formation of a future progressive government. Now the party has only eight deputies, but according to the forecast “Electoral Calculus” from 16 October She would have won the election. 28 places.

Позиція Лондона is different: the second referendum should allow the British government, and its head calls for moving away from the topic of independence.

"Я просто відчуваю, що ми всі маємо відійти від конституційних питань. На мою думку, люди в Шотландії страждають від кризи вартості життя, як і в Англії та всюди. І я вважаю, що наше завдання — зосередитися на практичних речах, на рішеннях для людей"," said Prime Minister Енді Бернем, responding to questions about Scottish independence during a visit to Lanarkshire by 16 October.

Sweeney admitted that it was not in his power to call a new vote, but it could happen sooner than expected.

"Наша незалежність дуже близько", he said.

• The then-first Шотландії Нікола Стерджен minister announced the start of a campaign for a second independence referendum and called on the Великої Британії government to allow legally binding voting.
• Subsequently, the country's highest court unanimously did not recognize the right of Scotland to hold such a referendum: in November 2022 he ruled that the Scottish Parliament did not have the right to pass laws on it.