5 reasons why Scotland must have a choice about its future

by the SNP
Posted on
5 years ago
3 min read

The choice Scotland faces today is very different to the choice Scotland faced in 2014.

  • Scotland now faces being dragged out of Europe against our will – despite being told to vote No in 2014 to stay in the European Union.
  • Brexit will have a negative impact on Scotland – with fewer jobs, fewer opportunities and households left worse off.
  • Scotland faces the very real prospect of a No Deal Brexit and a hard Brexiteer like Boris Johson being installed in No. 10. Scotland must be able to choose an alternative.

Brexit has shown, once and for all, that Westminster isn’t working.

  • The UK political system is deeply dysfunctional and has ground to a halt due to Brexit.
  • A new Prime Minister won’t be chosen by ordinary voters in Scotland but by a few thousand members of the Conservative Party.
  • Scotland’s place in Brexit Britain is damaging our international reputation and causing uncertainty to thousands of our European citizens.

Promises made to Scotland during the 2014 referendum were never kept.

  • Scottish voters were told they could protect their EU citizenship by rejecting independence in 2014 – now we’re being dragged out of Europe against our will.
  • We were told by voting No we could build a more equal society across the UK. Now the United Nations says UK welfare policy is “tragic” and inflicting “great misery” on our citizens.
  • Labour said there was no need for independence because they would sweep to power and sort everything out – Labour finished in 5th place in Scotland at the most recent election.
  • They said staying in the UK would protect our NHS – now the NHS is ‘on the table’ in a trade deal with Donald Trump.

Voters have consistently given the SNP a mandate to deliver a referendum on Scotland’s future.

  • This mandate has been reinforced through consecutive elections – most recently with the SNP winning its best ever result in Europe.
  • It’s not just the SNP – a majority in the Scottish Parliament has also agreed to deliver a referendum on Scottish independence.
  • At the European Elections, the Tories stood on an explicit platform to stop a second independence referendum – their message was totally rejected by Scottish voters, giving the Tories their worst ever result.

Independence is an exciting opportunity for Scotland to take a different path.

  • Scotland has already demonstrated what can be done with the limited powers of devolution, from free university tuition and prescriptions to world-leading green energy initiatives and baby boxes for all new parents. With the full powers of independence, Scotland could do so much more.
  • An independent Scotland would play its full part in the international community, participating in cross-border initiatives and making its voice heard in the European Union.
  • Independence is an opportunity to bolster our representative democracy, bringing an end to unelected Tory governments at Westminster – with independence Scottish voters will always get the governments we vote for.

Sign the independence pledge and get involved at Yes.scot