Will There Be a Second Referendum on Scottish Independence?

• 07.29.2015, 09:42
•  Europe,  World

The Prime Minister of Great Britain David Cameron has rejected Scotland’s first Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she is in charge of deciding when a second referendum on Scottish independence will be held.

According to the British Telegraph, David Cameron said that last September’s vote, in which Scots voted for remaining as part of the United Kingdom was ''decisive'' and any poll called by Mrs Sturgeon would be regarded as illegitimate before the 2020 general election.

The matter is that Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, has said it would be her ''ultimate decision'' on whether to hold a second independence referendum after her predecessor and mentor Alex Salmond said over the weekend that a second vote on leaving the UK is ''inevitable'', The Scotsman  newspaper reports.

The SNP leader previously said the 2014 independence vote was a ''once in a lifetime'' event and has since stated that the prospect of a fresh poll was a matter for the Scottish people. 

She said any choice would be made based on the country’s ''best interests'' but stated that she believed ''one day'' there would be another referendum.

Let’s recall that in September 2014, when the first referendum was held in Scotland with the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?", the majority of voters, 55% voted ''No'' and the 45% of people voted ''Yes''.

''There can’t be a referendum, and there certainly can’t be independence for Scotland, unless a majority of people in Scotland clearly want that,'' Sturgeon said in an interview with BBC.

However, British Prime Minister opposes strongly to this kind of initiative as he takes a very clear approach that these things must be legitimate.

''I think it is important that a referendum is legal and fair and properly constituted, and that is what we had, and it was decisive, and so I do not see the need for another one,'' David Cameron said.

Thus, any rerun would need Mr Cameron’s consent as constitutional matters are reserved to Westminster.