A proposal to make provision for ascertaining the views of the people of Scotland on whether the Scottish Parliament should have the powers to negotiate and legislate for independence for Scotland.
ALBA IN ST. ANDREW’S DAY BID TO BREAKTHROUGH THE CONSTITUTIONAL LOGJAM
ALBA Party to propose a new Referendum to breakthrough the constitutional logjam on independence.
The Party’s Holyrood Leader, Ash Regan MSP, proposes to introduce a Bill for a Referendum to consult the people of Scotland on whether the powers of the Scottish Parliament should be extended to include the power to legislate for and negotiate independence. Such a referendum would be held exactly ten years after the 2014 poll.
ALBA Party Holyrood leader Ash Regan MSP said;
“It is ALBA Party’s policy that at each and every election Scotland should be offered the choice of voting for a mandate to negotiate independence. That is unlikely to happen at the coming General Election since neither the SNP or the Greens support that proposition and have rejected the ALBA Party offer of a single Scotland United candidate standing in each constituency seeking that mandate. Notwithstanding, ALBA Party will certainly offer every voter in Scotland exactly that option at the next Scottish election.
“However, there is no reason why the independence movement should make no progress in the meantime. My colleague Neale Hanvey MP has a Scottish sovereignty Bill currently before the Westminster Parliament which would transfer the power to hold a referendum on independence to Scotland.
“But the real prospect of momentum lies here in Scotland. Last year’s ill-fated expedition to the Supreme Court has halted the opportunity to propose an independence referendum in the Scottish Parliament. However, there is nothing to stop our Parliament proposing a referendum which we believe would be within competence, and that is to ask the people whether they believe the powers of the Parliament should be extended to include the right to legislate for and negotiate independence.
That is what my proposed new draft Bill does and I intend to canvass public and parliamentary support for it now. It is time for the independence movement to offer our supporters the real prospect of progress.”
Former First Minister and ALBA Party leader Alex Salmond added;
“Ash Regan’s move to ALBA Party is a breath of fresh air in this Parliament. This proposal can propel the independence movement forward and free it of its current inertia.
More than ten years ago this is exactly the sort of initiative I would have taken if David Cameron had refused a section 30 referendum. Indeed I had a draft with a similar question in an advanced stage of preparation – just in case. No doubt that fact concentrated the mind of Westminster wonderfully. If you want to end a London veto over Scottish sovereignty then you have to make it clear that you are not prepared to take No for an answer.
The way to assert the sovereignty of the Scottish people is to ask the people the question on whether their own parliament should have the powers to determine our future”
ALBA Party Chair Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh added;
“Earlier this year after the Supreme Court misadventure led the SNP to a constitutional dead end, ALBA Party instructed one of Scotland’s leading KCs to examine the legal routes forward out of the constitutional dead end into which Scotland has been led.
Aidan O’Neill’s opinion articulates the view that the Parliament has the power to hold this referendum and that consulting the people on their opinion on extending the decision making power of their Parliament is arguably within competence. Now with ALBA Party being led by Ash Regan in the Parliament there is the opportunity to take it forward.
The legislation proposed goes right to the heart of the issue. It would mean that exactly a decade after the first referendum the people of Scotland would have the opportunity to articulate their view on whether the political destiny of the nation should be in Scotland’s hands. It will be the peoples’ opportunity to democratically answer the judicial overreach of the Supreme Court.
There can be no better initiative to take on this St Andrew’s Day.”
Why
I’ve been hoping for some time to see such an initiative from ALBA, which clearly defines a new potential route to independence, and puts clear water between ALBA and the S30 approach clung to by the SNP. This is what “Manifesto for Indy” advocated by SSRG and the similar “Manifesto for Independence” advocated by Peter A Bell have been saying for about 2 years now, and with Ash Reagan now an ALBA MSP there is a way of putting this to the Scottish people. “Manifesto for Independence” advocates almost exactly what ALBA is proposing, using the votes of the sovereign Scottish people (note – specifically the Sovereign people, and specifically not Westminster) to give all referendum powers to Holyrood. Manifesto for Indy goes further, where it requires that the Sovereign people lend all power to the Scottish Parliament, effectively converting that parliament from a devolved creature of Westminster into an independent parliament of the Scottish people. But make no mistake, this ALBA proposal is a serious and welcome first step. Happy St Andrew’s Day !
With the polls for independence at 54%, the only logjam to independence is not having sufficient mass support for the political means to do so. Until that changes, the wheels will just keep spinning. It would be interesting to get a breakdown of the 54% to find out how they expect or want independence to happen politically. Alba appears to be the only viable political way in which to turn support for independence into also supporting the political means to achieve it, but with support for Alba so low, it seems that most of the 54% still hope that the SNP will do so. As good an example of cognitive dissonance as you can get. Or more simply, turkeys voting for Xmas. The obvious questions to those still hoping that the SNP will do anything positive towards independence, is why and how much proof of it’s deceitfulness and incompetence do they need before they see that they have been conned.
But as long as enough voters still see the SNP as the only way to independence, no progress will be made and Scotland will continue to go down the tube as part of the UK. Pointlessly yet again asking Westminster for permission to hold a referendum only makes Scotland look weak politically. But then it is and much of that is because so many of the 54% are still living in cuckoo-land.
https://archive.ph/JDZS0
Progress at last, well done Alba (Ash for leader) lets see what the SNP does and how cares about the Greens.
Alistair Darling has died, won’t be missed. Shane MacGowan, frontman of The Pogues, dies aged 65 will be missed.
Well said
Been wanting this for yrs now while the snp have done nothing .alba and scottish people are crying out for a proper representation not fulfilled by snp.
Oh. Gawd. No.
Its like the neverendum debate: “roll up folks for once more ride on the magic roundabout.”
So vote Alba that they may pass law that might allow a referendum that we could win?
Some catchy slogan that; doesn’t exactly set the heather alight. Its seems less about behaving as if we were an independent country and more about reinforcing our colonial status with “please sir, can I have some more”.
Ferk That.
What about keeping it simple? ‘We will govern to the best of our abilities but should we ever have the majority, we will pass a bill that ends the union and start negotiating on shared reponsibilities, depts, assets etc’.
THEN by all means give us something to vote on; the final divorce “package”. Where we either accept it or its back to the negotiating table.
But this? The Who sum it up well with “Welcome to the new boss, same as the old boss”.
Go and read again or if you are struggling to understand what it actually says perhaps get an adult to explain it to you
Regan is proposing a Holyrood referendum on referendums (that were recently ruled as illegal anyway, if anyone is interested…). Loki’s right: The proposal is as exciting as gravel and has the intellectual gravity of a damp biscuit. If that is thrilling to Alba members, Alba’s in real trouble.
Oh dear another daftie that has not read or understood what is actually being proposed. A Unionist or an SNP troll hard to separate them these days.
Offering up Loki as your political guru sums you up. Dear oh dear.
She is proposing a referendum on whether Hollyrood should have the legal right to hold constitutional referendums. A referendum on referendums. Do you understand her proposals differently? If so, explain your understanding instead of acting like a rocket because someone mildly disagrees with you on the impact of the proposal.
Wrong it is to give Holyrood the right to negotiate independence post a Scottish General Election. You didn’t read the first time nor the second time when you are advised to do so.None so blind as those who will not see or are too fucking lazy!
Thanks. She wants to run a single issue GE campaign? Alex Salmond as Farage? Alex Salmond 100x less popular than Farage? I mean for real, not for ex-SNP activists who think they have disinfected themselves.
I’m putting this out whenever there’s an opportunity.
Every discussion attached to how Scotland can win its right to control its own future should be welcomed.
I beleive the gauranteed will be unity within the movement.
We need all Indy campaigners united within a recognised movement using the same tactics used by the Catelonians.
Give the movement it own Identity.
Set up with an elected leader (non political) Then elect one non political official within each official group campaigning for Independence.
We should be supporting organisations like Common Weal, Salvo/Liberation, BIS all of whom give serious contributions to the the movement.
Grassroots is the movement, keeping our cause alive (54%) +
We need to bring people together, the same people who almost succeeded in 2014.
We didn’t loose by 5% we lost by 2.6% along with all the lies that wouldn’t hold up next time round.
Continuity is a great word, if we continue on this route the way we have since 2014 we won’t see Independence in the next generation.
Cut the Continuity cord, build the PEOPLES movement, educate the 2.6%.
Westminster cannot stop Scottish Sovereignty.
Hope everyone reading this can now see the way to Freedom.