The Scottish National Party (SNP) is ramping up its referendum talk as support for a second vote on independence continues its momentum. Polling for the last few months has consistently put Yes ahead, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is already looking to capitalise. She said this week that she expects another referendum in the early stages of the next Scottish Parliament, which would be formed after elections next May. The picture is already bleak for opposing parties, as many predict yet another commanding performance from the SNP.
Former First Minister, Henry McLeish, made a dire warning for the Tories in Scotland as an “almighty civil war” threatens to douse any election hopes.
He spoke about how Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, has been taking on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Government.
Mr McLeish told the National earlier this month: “Douglas Ross has been making some interesting comments over the past few weeks taking on the Government.
“He is acknowledging quietly that the Tories are in deep trouble and their position on the constitution cannot survive.
“My belief is if Alister Jack (Secretary of State for Scotland) is doing the bidding of Boris Johnson then there is going to be an almighty stramash and that they could be heading for a political civil war on the eve of one of the most important Scottish elections to take place in recent times.”
Mr Jack, the Scottish Secretary of State, said recently that he would oppose IndyRef2 for between 25 and 40 years.
Mr McLeish warned of a “serious rift” in the Scottish Conservative Party, and predicted that there will be another vote on independence within five years.
The Scottish elections next year will likely hand the SNP a huge boost, as even without a majority, the Greens could provide support to get Ms Sturgeon and her party over the line.
The Government has attempted to bat away nationalism in Scotland, branding the first vote in 2014 a “once in a generation” referendum.
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“They are in no way legally binding – it’s unclear what a generation means, how long is a generation?
“It has some political plausibility, but the longer this goes on, the less you can rely on that line.
“It is very uncertain. A lot of this depends on public opinion in Scotland.
“If support for independence continues to grow, it will become much harder to hold the line for the UK government without significant discontent.”
