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Superbuddhapunk t1_j8n0xzq wrote

Reply to comment by guesswhowhere in Nicola Sturgeon to resign as Scottish first minister by icumglass

With the UK supreme court ruling that Scotland cannot hold a unilateral independence referendum and the GRR blocked by Westminster, that was two major defeats for the SNP. Nicola couldn’t really go on past this point. I suspect that her troubles started with last year’s Scottish Parliament election where the SNP didn’t achieve a majority of seats and had to compromise with the Scottish Greens. Her claim that the SNP was speaking for all Scots was questionable from that point.

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CheeseStandsAlone262 t1_j8n36w9 wrote

Not sure that makes sense to me. She leads a party that believes Scotland should be independent and suffers from interference and disdain from London.

And then London interferes and treats Scotland with disdain? Shouldn't that actually strengthen her position?

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Superbuddhapunk t1_j8nav3n wrote

Well her goal for many years was to bring Scotland to a new referendum. The strategy was to negotiate and obtain one from the UK government, but when it became obvious they wouldn’t agree plan B was the legal route and make a case that Scotland was constitutionally allowed to have an unilateral referendum on its future and that didn’t work either. Ultimately her credibility took a hit in both cases. It’s not about her being right, what’s questioned is her ability to deliver.

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Ok-Welder-4816 t1_j8nnze1 wrote

I guess the only argument left is the right to self-determination under international law, and the "let's see you stop us" school of thought.

If they want independence badly enough, they're gonna have to just leave and let the cards fall where they may.

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Superbuddhapunk t1_j8np6ff wrote

The political way is not entirely closed. If Scotland can persuade the UK government to allow an independence referendum then we will hold one. Unfortunately Nicola never managed to engage with Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss or, to some degree, Rishi Sunak. I hope the next SNP Leader will establish a meaningful dialogue with Westminster.

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MC_chrome t1_j8os2aq wrote

The SNP is completely out of its mind if they truly believe any PM of the United Kingdom would allow Scotland to have a second independence referendum.

I do believe that Westminster needs to bring Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to the table when figuring out some of the major issues facing the UK, but I also believe that Scotland doesn’t have a clue how destructive a “yes” vote on independence would be not only for their country, but the world as well.

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Superbuddhapunk t1_j8ov8n1 wrote

Well there’s a precedent, David Cameron agreed to a referendum didn’t he, and the arguments against independence are all debatable. Scotland has enough natural resources, agriculture, tourism and technology to build a strong economy, and frankly I don’t see how the emergence of a new independent country would threaten the world. 🤷🏿‍♂️

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