NICOLA Sturgeon’s dreams of holding a second independence referendum
already look to be in tatters before they have barely got off the ground after a
petition to block it gained more than 100,000 signatures.
The online Parliamentary petition is one in a number of setbacks already
threatening to railroad the SNP’s independence dream.
It will be debated in the House of Commons after it reached more than
100,000 signatures within hours of being set up.
The petition, created by John Innes, states: “We in Scotland are fed up
of persecution by the SNP leader who is solely intent on getting independence at
any cost. As a result, Scotland is suffering hugely.”
The move comes as another body blow to Scotland’s First Minister, who as
SNP leader had outlined her plans to hold another vote on independence earlier
this week.
Already Prime Minister Theresa May has responded to Mrs Sturgeon’s
demands for another referendum, accusing her of “playing
politics”.
Independence supporters had hoped to remove Scotland from the UK union
and align itself with the European Union (EU) but that also looks to be dead in
the water.
A new survey yesterday revealed that anti-European Union (EU) sentiment
was growing in Scotland.
The ScotCen annual Scottish social attitudes survey found that two in
three Scots questioned (67 per cent) either want Britain to leave the EU (25 per
cent) or for the EU’s powers to be reduced (42 per cent).
This was a 14 point rise in Euroscepticism in Scotland from 2014 and 27
per cent increase based on opinions in 1999 when the Scottish Parliament was
opened.
Mrs Sturgeon’s plans were also openly slapped down by the Spanish Foreign
Minister Alfonso Dastis who said the Iberian country would veto any attempt to
keep Scotland in the bloc with any new independent country having to go to the
back of the queue if it wanted to join.
The country’s right-wing Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy compounded the
issue by saying: “If the United Kingdom leaves… Scotland leaves
too.”
EU countries have maintained lukewarm relations with Mrs Sturgeon despite
her embarking on a tour of European capitals to drum up
support.
