NICOLA Sturgeon has suggested Scotland will become independent as part of a “wider shake-up” of the UK, including Irish reunification.
The former first minister spoke with the BBC 10 years on from the referendum on Scottish independence.
Sturgeon (below) said she believed a victory for Yes was “within grasp” on the night of the vote and discussed what her hopes are for the future of the indy movement.
“I believe that, perhaps as part of a wider shake-up of UK governance, the reunification of Ireland, perhaps, more autonomy in Wales, that I think we will see Scotland become an independent country,” she said.
“I’ll certainly campaign and advocate for that for as long as I’ve got breath in my body,” she added.
Sturgeon did however decline to comment on whether she felt that Scottish independence or Irish reunification would come first.
Speaking at an event in Edinburgh marking the 10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum, John Swinney was asked if he agreed with Sturgeon's prediction.
The First Minister said: “Do I think they’ll both happen?
“Yes, I do. So I agree with that point very much.
“I think the tide and the pattern of those debates is moving decisively and emphatically in that direction.”
Speaking about the night of the referendum, the former first minister said: “Unusually for me, in the final days, I was really optimistic.
“I definitely felt that victory was within grasp.”
The No campaign ultimately won the vote by 55% to 45% with Sturgeon describing the campaign as the “best of times and the worst of times”.
“What I remember most about the campaign was just the energy, the sense of political awakening and in engagement that seemed to grip Scotland,” she added.
Sturgeon further added that she “fervently” wished the SNP had made further progress on independence in the last decade.
She explained: “I came up against a brick wall of Westminster democracy denial in refusing the right of the Scottish people to choose their own future.
“Do I wish I had found a way around that? Yes, but that was the situation I faced. Had that right to choose been secured, I believe Scotland would have voted Yes.”
It comes the day after a YouGov poll found that the Yes campaign would easily win a new independence referendum if it was certain that Scotland would rejoin the European Union.
