By Tom Gordon
Political Editor
SCOTLAND’S new independence party may not support a second referendum, putting it at odds with the SNP, its interim leader has said.
Former SNP MSP Dave Thompson said the Alliance for Independence, which currently backs Indyref2, could change its position at its inaugural conference in September.
He said: “Our current aim is to support Indyref2 but we will debate the ‘road map’ to independence at our conference, where our members will decide where we go.”
If the AFI did reject Indyref2, it could confuse the Nationalist message at the 2021 election, as Nicola Sturgeon remains committed to a referendum.
She argues other routes would lack credibility with the EU and other states.
Supporters of the Alliance, which intends to stand list-only candidates for Holyrood, are also divided internally over how best to end the Union.
Despite the AFI’s preliminary aims including Indyref2, one of the group’s highest profile supporters, Tommy Sheridan, this week opposed it.
The former Socialist MSP said there was no point asking Boris Johnson to give Holyrood the power hold a referendum, as he would never grant it.
Mr Sheridan said that if the AFI’s plan to elect a ‘super-majority’ of Yes MSPs succeeded in 2021, that should instead trigger immediate talks with the UK on a “withdrawal settlement”.
Mr Sheridan’s Solidarity party has been involved with the AFI since its inception, with some former Solidarity organisers in key roles at the group.
The AFI intends to stand candidates on the eight Holyrood lists next May in an effort to maximise the number of Yes MSPs elected, arguing voting SNP on the list is a waste of a Yes vote.
It cites the SNP’s 59 constituency wins but just four top-up MSPs in 2016.
Mr Thompson, who was a Highlands MSP from 2007 to 2016, revealed he had resigned “with a heavy heart” from the SNP on Tuesday after 55 years to become the AFI’s interim leader.
Despite criticism of the project from the SNP, he told the Herald the AFI wanted unity in the Yes movement.
He said the party’s conference would elect office bearers, including gender balanced co-conveners, and decide the candidate selection process for the lists.
It would also decide the AFI’s preferred route to independence.
He said: “I’m pretty sure our members will want to discuss whether that should be a referendum or whether there are other ways of doing that.”
He accepted that if the AFI rejected Indyref2, it could lead to two types of Yes MSPs at Holyrood - the SNP bloc committed to a referendum, and the AFI wanting something else.
He said: “I don’t necessarily think it would be a bad thing if there were a number of MSPs in the parliament advocating different policies in relation to that, as long as they support the drive to independence. I don’t think it would be a difficult issue for folk to deal with.
“In any case, we’re expecting the SNP to get a majority in its own right, probably just with the constituencies. So they will have a majority government.
“We’re hoping to have a substantial number of folk advocating for possibly other things. I don’t think that would make any real difference to the SNP.”
Edinburgh Labour MP Ian Murray said: “The new nationalist party is already in chaos as it decides how it wants to divide the people of Scotland.
“All this is a distraction from what really matters - jobs and the NHS.
“That’s what Labour will focus on at next year’s election, not constitutional division.”
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