With Scottish independence set to dominate the political arena, Scotland's political leaders had their say on it, each writing in the Herald on Sunday outlining the case for and against having a second referendum.
The article prompted much political debate and comment online.
“The Westminster bad rhetoric is wearisome, we know what the problem is. We also know what the solution is - independence, only it's becoming apparent that you and your party are not capable of giving us that. All you want is my vote, and all you promise above is - "The Scottish Government will publish a draft referendum bill, setting out the proposed terms of an independence referendum, including the question, subject to testing by the Electoral Commission, and the proposed timescale for the vote."
So we're no further forward on a second referendum than we were on September the 19th 2014.”
David Campbell, heraldscotland.com
“On 6 May the people of Scotland, the voters, will have their say on how Scotland and the UK has been governed for the past years and what and who they, we, want in the coming years.
If we the people declare that we want an independence referendum then we should be given an independence referendum. End of story. What a handful of current politicians think on the subject is neither here nor there. They should just prepare their manifestos and put it to us the people and we will decide who to vote for. The result announced on 7 May will show the road ahead.”
Andrew McMillan, heraldscotland.com
“It's fairly obvious that if there's a sustained and fairly substantial majority for independence then the details will be of less importance. Britain can't really refuse a referendum if enough people demand it. Sturgeon is right not to rush it.”
Harold Reoch, heraldscotland.com
“Really enjoyed this article and thought it a good form of political journalism, would be nice to see it expanded for other political issues”
Ruairidh Maclean, Twitter
“Reading these prospectuses has filled me with hope and enthusiasm. The majority of the people in Scotland want to live in a normal sovereign country, interdependent with our European neighbours. Both the First Minister and the Green party representative meet this challenge head-on while none of the unionist party representatives dares to even mention Brexit. The majority of the people of Scotland believe that we should be sovereign and that the constitutional and economic case for Scotland is sound. Even Mark Carney had to admit that when he joined the Bank of England. We have the hope and we have the momentum. Let's do this!”
Elaine Gordon Stewart, heraldscotland.com
“One opportunity folks. You've had it, respect the result, respect the Edinburgh agreement. Polls go up and down every day. It's the referendum results that matter.”
Mick McCaw, heraldscotland.com
“What concerns me most and it should concern every voter, is that those who told us to vote no, almost every last one of them are now Lords, Ladies, Baronesses, knights, Running Banks and so on.”
John Renfrew, heraldscotland.com
“People are dying in their thousands because of Covid-19, either directly or indirectly. Before the virus took hold our NHS was a shambles, with scandal after scandal, standards in schools were plummeting year after year, while draconian laws were being spun to keep us in our place. After a decade of SNP rule, with Scotland on its knees, we have baby boxes. And now we have a promise from Nicola to focus on what she does best - division and blame. In the meantime, Scotland is going down the tubes. People want jobs, they want an NHS that works, a bright future for their kids, the elderly and vulnerable to be cared for, not endless fighting about constitutional matters. These were all within the SNP's power - the SNP chose the latter over the former. The SNP are not the answer. They're the problem. They've had a decade to make Scotland a better place and they've done hee haw.”
Sandy Burns, heraldscotland.com
“I don't think the result would be any different to the last time. If it is independence, I hope the SNP have factored the massive exodus into their plan.”
Phil Richards, heraldscotland.com
“I object to Nicola Sturgeon using the expression: 'the settled will of the Scottish people'. There is no such thing, polls are fluctuating all the time. One thing's for certain, after independence, once reality bites support for the lost union would soar.”
Liam Baxter, heraldscotland.com
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