The Tories want to block Scottish democracy – but where’s their mandate?

by the SNP
Posted on
5 years ago
3 min read

The people of Scotland have consistently given the SNP a mandate to deliver a referendum on Scottish independence. That mandate has been reinforced through consecutive elections – most recently with the SNP winning its best ever result in Europe.

But 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.

The Scottish people will decide Scotland’s future – no-one else

The Tories are trying to block Scotland having a say on its future, despite receiving no mandate from the Scottish electorate. Even worse – they don’t see why they need one.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was right to call out Tory arrogance, saying: “The Scottish people will decide Scotland’s future, no-one else.”

It would be a democratic outrage for Scotland’s democratic process to be shut down by Boris Johnson, elected by only 92,000 Tory party members – a party which scraped a mere 11% of the Scottish vote at the most recent election, and a party which is trying to force through a hardline Brexit agenda which Scotland rejected by 62%.

Tories often cite “democracy” as a reason for implementing a damaging Brexit – but when it comes to Scotland and the rights of the Scottish people to decide their own future, these same democratic principles vanish into thin air.

Ruth Davidson is trying to shift the goalposts

Ruth Davidson has tried to shift the goalposts for a new independence referendum, saying that it should only take place if the SNP win an outright majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament.

But the Scottish Parliament was specifically set up with a system of proportional representation to prevent single parties holding outright majorities, and a pro-independence majority already exists between the SNP and Scottish Greens.

The Tories have tried to shift the goalposts on an independence referendum on multiple occasions – no doubt they would move them again as soon as the SNP met the latest set of criteria.

Most Scots agree the referendum should be “made in Scotland”

A clear majority of Scots want a future independence referendum “made in Scotland” – with decisions over timing and question to be determined by the Scottish Government.

A new poll by Survation, commissioned by Progress Scotland, found that 58% believe the Scottish Government should decide whether there should be an independence referendum.

Questions now stand for Labour, which once called itself “the party of devolution”. Will it stand up for the rights of the Scottish Parliament, or will it continue to do the Tories’ dirty work by denying Scotland’s right to decide its future?

The reality is that Scotland’s future will not be decided by the Tories, sitting at 11% of the vote in Scotland, nor will it be decided by the Boris Johnson, put into office by the tiniest percentage of the UK electorate.

Scotland’s future will be decided by the people of Scotland – that’s democracy. And of course, with independence, the days of unelected governments at Westminster with no mandate dictating terms to Scotland will be over.

Sign the independence pledge at Yes.scot and share it with your friends and family.