NICOLA Sturgeon’s dilemma over the date of a second referendum has intensified, after one of the candidates to be her SNP deputy demanded a new vote within 18 months.
Chris McEleny’s call means the issue is now set to dominate the depute’s contest in the run up to the SNP conference in June.
The other contenders, cabinet secretary Keith Brown and activist Julie Hepburn, have both urged the party to get ready for a referendum, but have shied away from naming a date.
However Mr McEleny, the leader of the SNP group on Inverclyde Council, said Scotland could not afford to wait any longer while the UK government imposed a hard Brexit and other misguided policies, and there should be a vote next year.
READ MORE: New referendum split surfaces among SNP MPs
He said: “In autumn we will know clearly what the terms of Brexit will be. Considering the shambles that negotiations have been conducted in to date, I’m not holding my breath for a good deal. However Brexit isn’t the only democratic deficit that we have in Scotland.
“We are moving close to entering into our second decade of UK Government austerity being imposed upon Scotland. We are moving close to a new generation of weapons of mass destruction being imposed upon the Clyde in Scotland.
“Hard working WASPI women are having their pensions stolen, women who have been raped are being forced to fill out forms to receive support, the UK’s protect the rich economy is forcing more and more children into poverty.
“I believe that Scotland cannot afford to wait any longer to see if things can get better, we’ve been getting sold that message for decades.
“Simply put, decisions made in Scotland by the people of Scotland are better decisions for Scotland. That is why we should be independent and that is why I believe we should have a referendum on our independence within the next 18 months.”
READ MORE: Yes supporters "turning in on themselves", Sillars admits
His comments come as splits emerge across the independence movement about when to push for a referendum, and whether Ms Sturgeon should use the “triple lock” mandate she says she has to call a vote before the 2021 Holyrood election.
Some Yes activists argue the SNP leader is duty bound to use the mandate, and that if she doesn’t the SNP might not get a chance in the parliament after 2021.
Ms Sturgeon called for a second referendum in March 2017 but “reset” her plans after the SNP lost a third of its MPs in the June election, and is due to update MSPs “on the precise timescale for offering people a choice over the country’s future” in the autumn.
Western Isles MP Angus Brendan MacNeil this week said he favoured a referendum within 18 months and that if a date was set “energy and enthusiasm will begin”, as in 2014.
However other senior figures, including MP Pete WIshart and former SNP deputy Jim Sillars, have urged caution and pragmatism, and highlighted the No majority in the polls.
READ MORE: SNP urged to oppose major donor over East Coast Main Line
They argue it would be folly to rush into a referendum without clear evidence of public support for independence, and that another defeat would crush the Yes movement.
Mr WIshart and Mr Sillars have been attacked by their fellow Nationalists online as defeatist and cowardly as a result, generating an increasingly toxic atmosphere around the issue.
The first deputy leadership hustings are due to start later this month in North Lanarkshire, with the leader announced at the SNP’s conference in Aberdeen.
Ms Hepburn previously said the SNP needed to “get in training” for a referendum, but said the decision on timing of a referendum was for the First Minister and her cabinet.
Responding to Mr McEleny's statement, she said: "We shouldn't bind ourselves to any strict timeframe for holding an independence referendum, but look to go for it when we have the best chance of winning.
"Of course the Depute Leader doesn't get to make that decision, but it's their role to ensure we are ready to get going as soon as the opportunity arises."
Meanwhile Mr Brown, the Economy Secretary and favourite to win the depute race, has said the party should be ready for a new vote but also has “a long way to go”.
READ MORE: Yes supporters "turning in on themselves", Sillars admits
Announcing his candidacy in March, he said: “We need to get all of our members ready to fight and win elections and to be ready for any future referendums - getting the party ready and giving the members the tools they need will be my focus.
“The massive increase in Party membership since Indyref1 means we have to change our structures to engage and involve every member.
“The Depute Leader will have to drive the internal reforms already underway to get us ready to take the SNP’s positive and progressive vision forward.
“The SNP has come a long way but we have a long way still to go and we've got to get geared up for the journey.”
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