'There's no consensus!' Nicola Sturgeon skewered for 'selfish' SNP plans to break up UK
NICOLA Sturgeon has been blasted by Tory MSP Murdo Fraser for pursuing an independence referendum when "there's no consensus."
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The Scottish First Minister has doubled down on calls for a second vote on independence following last week's elections. The SNP secured a majority of seats in Holyrood but fell shy of an overall majority. Mr Fraser argued there is "no consensus" to revisit to question of Scottish independence. He added there would be nothing more "divisive" than Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP "selfishly" trying to force the issue to be reopened.
On the granting of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Mr Fraser told BBC Newsnight: "It was on the back of a situation where the entire Scottish Parliament voted in favour of that referendum taking place.
"There was a national consensus that that question that had never been put to the Scottish people in 300 years should be put.
"The whole country engaged in that debate, a debate that we were told would be a once-in-a-generation event.
"And we reached a clear conclusion that the people of Scotland wanted to remain as part of the United Kingdom."
He continued: "Now we are in a hugely different scenario now because we are only just seven years on from that last vote which we were told was a once in a generation vote.
"There is no consensus around reholding that referendum.
"As we saw in the vote last week half the population at least don't think this is the right time to revisit this question.
"So unlike 2014 when the situation was we have a consensus about proceeding now the country is split right down the middle and nothing could be more divisive than the SNP for their selfish reasons trying to proceed with another referendum."
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In last week's Scottish elections the SNP secured 64 seats, while the Tories were returned with 31, Labour 22, the Green eight and the Lib Dems four.
Speaking after the results Ms Sturgeon said: "It is the will of the country.
"Given the outcome of this election, there is simply no democratic justification whatsoever for Boris Johnson or anyone else seeking to block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future.
"If the Tories make such an attempt it will demonstrate conclusively that the UK is not a partnership of equals and that – astonishingly – Westminster no longer sees the UK as a voluntary union of nations.
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"That in itself would be a most powerful argument for Scotland becoming an independent country.”
However, Boris Johnson has firmly rejected calls for a second vote labelling the idea "irresponsible and reckless."
The Prime Minister said: "I think a referendum in the current context is irresponsible and reckless.
“I think there’s been an eloquent testimonial during the pandemic to the power of the union.”