Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday (November 30th) that she wanted to quickly organize a second referendum on the independence of this British province if her party won in the local elections next May.
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"
Next May, we will ask the Scottish people to trust us to continue building a better country
," said the leader at the annual congress of the Scottish Independence Party (SNP).
"
I will seek your approval, and that of no one else, for a referendum on independence to be organized quickly once the new parliament is formed
."
The desire for independence is returning in force in Scotland, with the approach of the end of the post-Brexit transition and after the much criticized management of the epidemic of new coronavirus by London, putting the SNP in position to round up in May of many seats in the decentralized Parliament of Holyrood.
A referendum had already been held in 2014 and the Scots voted 55% to stay in the UK.
Since then, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly ruled out allowing Scotland to hold a new ballot, arguing that it was a vote that happened "
once in a generation
".
But Nicola Sturgeon argues that Brexit was a game-changer for Scots who voted overwhelmingly in 2016 against leaving the EU.
Officially entered into force on January 31, Brexit will become reality on January 1, at the end of the transition period.
As the deadline approaches, London and Brussels are still struggling to conclude a free trade agreement.
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"
In a month, we will be facing a hard Brexit, whether with a 'no deal' or a bad 'deal',
" warned Nicola Sturgeon, who warns of "
serious short-term damage
" and "
even worse damage in the long run
”.
"
Independence will not distract us from reconstruction after the Covid
", she added, on the contrary it is "
essential to achieve it
".
“
The question you need to ask yourself is, who do you trust to rebuild our economy, the Scottish government you elected or Boris Johnson's Brexiters gang?
»She declared
In early October, a poll conducted by Ipsos Mori credited the leader with "
very strong
" public support, 72% satisfied with her management of the pandemic.