A Second Scottish Independence Referendum Looms as Formal Brexit Negotiations Appear Imminent

Just after the U.K. Parliament voted on whether to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in order to begin the formal process of leaving the European Union — aka “Brexit” — the Scottish government threw a wrench in the works. Nicola Sturgeon [pictured above in the initial frame of the video], first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), announced Monday she would seek to begin another process, very much inspired by the U.K. negotiations to leave the EU: a second Scottish independence referendum.

The first one took place in 2014, with the other side, the campaign for Scotland to remain a part of the U.K., winning by a narrow margin. So what makes Sturgeon think she can win this time? The answer is in the Brexit pudding. You see, in the June 2016 referendum that set Britain on this divisive course, a majority of Scots voted for the U.K. to remain in the EU. Now the SNP seems confident that another independence referendum, based on the hope that Scotland could ultimately rejoin the EU as a separate entity from the rest of the U.K., would see similar results as the Brexit vote. And she may not be wrong.

From The Independent:

[Sturgeon] said the UK Government had “not moved even an inch in pursuit of compromise and agreement” with the Scottish Government over Brexit and that even a good deal would be “significantly inferior” to the status quo. … In her announcement at Bute House, Ms Sturgeon said: “If Scotland can be ignored on an issue as important as the EU and the single market then it is clear that our voice can be ignored at any time and on any issue.”

The First Minister said the vote had to be held between Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019 – before it was “too late” but after “the terms of Brexit are known”. The First Minister says she will apply to the UK Government to authorise the referendum but that it should respect the will of the Scottish Parliament.

Under the so-called “Section 30 order” used to a call a referendum the UK Parliament must authorise a poll – meaning Ms Sturgeon’s call could be blocked by [British Prime Minister] Theresa May.

May has accused Sturgeon of playing politics with people’s lives–though that may sound strange to some who have watched May essentially leverage the rights of EU nationals in the U.K. during the Brexit negotiations.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, has stated his disapproval of another Scottish referendum so soon, but he has also said he would respect the Scots’ democratic rights.

Concerning Brexit, on Monday members of Parliament in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords affirmed a bill that would allow May to finally trigger Article 50 within hours or days, in order to start the two-year clock on official U.K. negotiations to leave the EU. The BBC reports that the bill “is expected to receive Royal Assent” (formal approval from Queen Elizabeth II) and pass into law Tuesday.