Nicola Sturgeon: ‘Gerrymandering’ Scottish independence referendum rules show ‘fundamental weakness’ in pro-Union case

9 comments

1. Shades of the 1979 devolution referendum. Gerrymandering that one brought down a UK government. They’d be wise not to play fuck-fuck games with constitutional matters.

2. >The plans would see a second referendum banned until polls show 60 per cent of Scots backing a new vote for at least a year.

   >Such a ‘Referendum Act’ would also only guarantee independence if 50 per cent of the entire Scottish electorate voting Yes

   If Sturgeon commands the mandate she claims, these are hardly unobtainable targets.

   They should probably define what a ‘generation’ is as well so everybody knows where they stand.

3. This from the person who refused to let all Scots vote on the referendum in 2014. Take your medicine.

4. She’s right. The cause of British unity is in terrible hands.

5. Those thresholds should be easy enough if the support is as strong as she claims.

6. I see the SNP apologists are out in force today. Doing wee Jimmie’s work.

7. Just throw her in prison and close Holyrood and have done with it.

8. 60% polling for a referendum is reasonable in general. However considering the recent historical context with several high profile referendum and tense relationship between the nations after covid, this is a tremendously aggressive proposition.

   But beyond that, the real killer is 50% of the whole electorate. Brexit, a very popular referendum, only achieved 72% turnout, that means Leave would have needed at least 70% of the vote in order to achieve the expected result.

   Seeing that kind of proposition against one of their own nation, it’s hard to imagine there will be any normalisation of the relationship with the EU.

9. Hhhmm so changing the rules of a hypothetical referendum while at the same time not allowing one to take place? That makes sense right?