NICOLA Sturgeon’s leadership has come under fire from one of her own MPs, who said the SNP should be prioritising independence instead of a People’s Vote on Brexit.
In a further sign of division in the Yes movement over Indyref2, Angus MacNeil said another referendum on Europe wasn’t wanted, so the independence vote should be to the “fore”.
“Change in media strategy now?” the Western Isles MP tweeted at his own party.
READ MORE: Herald poll: Scotland should have independence referendum after Brexit
Reacting to a Sky News poll showing 44% support for a People’s Vote and 56% opposition, Mr MacNeil tweeted: “Oh well @theSNP you tried but #EuroRef2 not wanted... So now it is the referendum with the mandate #Indyref2 to come to fore... Change in media strategy now?"
In another tweet, he described a People’s Vote - which is backed by Ms Sturgeon and SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford - as “an unwanted, mandateless” exercise.
Oh well @theSNP you tried but #EuroRef2 not wanted ... So now it is the referendum with the mandate #Indyref2 to come to fore... Change in media strategy now? https://t.co/1VZwF2Dmyg
— Angus B MacNeil MP (@AngusMacNeilSNP) January 21, 2019
Mr MacNeil, who has represented the
Mr MacNeil, an MP since 2005, also promoted a link to an article by former perjurer and MSP Tommy Sheridan, which called for independence “now, no ifs, not buts, no maybes”.
The condemnation of the First Minister’s approach comes after a weekend intervention by Alex Salmond, who told his successor to hurry up with independence.
The former First Minister said: “Nicola should be concentrating all her energies on the independence agenda when we will never have better circumstance.
“As far as I am concerned Westminster’s Brexit difficulty should be Scotland’s opportunity.”
“Right now, the Westminster political establishment is at its weakest point in my lifetime while the national movement is in good heart.
“There is not likely to be a better time to force the issue.”
READ MORE: SNP MP tells Nicola Sturgeon 'people have waited long enough' for Indyref2
Former SNP MP George Kerevan also called for a second independence referendum on Monday, warning “Scotland will not forgive us” if the Brexit crisis was not seized upon.
Advocating “pushing the independence red button now”, he admitted: “I think the majority of the Yes movement is in agony over what if the best thing to do”.
Mr Kerevan, a former Marxist who was MP for East Lothian from 2015 to 2017, said if the UK government continued to deny Holyrood the power for a referendum “then we must march in the streets to demand our democratic rights. When was democracy won without a struggle?”
Writing in the National, he said: “Nothing can or will drop in our lap overnight.
“But that’s not the same as waiting for change to come about slowly.
“There are decades where nothing happens politically, and weeks where decades of progress can occur. We are living at such a moment.
“Let’s not fumble our chance. Scotland will not forgive us.”
Mr Kerevan also sniped at Andrew Wilson, the author of the SNP’s cautious new economic blueprint for independence, for his wary approach to a new plebiscite.
The SNP won the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections on a manifesto that explicitly stated there should be a fresh vote on independence if there was a material change in circumstances from the 2014 referendum - making clear this should be the case if Scotland was removed from the EU against its people's wishes.
Ms Sturgeon has said she will make her views known on the possible timing of a second independence referendum in a "matter of weeks".
However, the First Minister is facing questions in the wake of Mr Salmond's legal victory against the Scottish Government, after the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled its handling of sexual misconduct allegations against the former SNP leader to be "unlawful".
The allegations - which are strenuously denied by Mr Salmond - have caused a split within the party which he led for 20 years, with his supporters amplifying grassroots calls for Indyref2 soon.
An SNP spokesman said: "The SNP believes that independence for Scotland is the best way to protect our interests and to see our democratic decisions respected.
"Brexit has brought the failure of the current UK system into sharp focus, with Westminster's shambolic handling of the current situation making the case for independence stronger by the day.
"Of course, in 2016 Scotland voted by a clear majority to stay in the EU. We continue to fight to protect that status and for the jobs, economic benefits and better living standards that being part of the EU gives us. If there's to be another vote which allow us to remain in Europe, then we should back that opportunity."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel