THE SNP’s depute leader was involved in a fiery clash with a Good Morning Scotland presenter as he slammed them for “interrupting” him.
Keith Brown appeared on the BBC show to discuss the upcoming special independence convention due to take place in Dundee on June 24.
Host Laura Maxwell asked if a de facto referendum on independence was a “contradiction” if the SNP were looking for a “legally binding route” towards indyref2.
Brown replied: “Well let’s look at what’s going to be on the agenda and on the agenda will be as well as other proposals, other ideas, the ways in which we can explore, the ways in which we can realise Scottish democracy, a de facto referendum will be on that agenda.
“That is a legal route towards independence.”
At this point, Maxwell interjected to say a de facto referendum would not move the fight for indyref2 “forward one inch”.
The SNP’s depute leader started to reply saying it was a “legal route” and that it “should be considered”.
Maxwell then once again interjected to ask how it was legal and Brown replied: “I heard your interview earlier, I didn’t hear you interrupting Craig Hoy repeatedly in the way you’re interrupting me.
“If you could just let me finish the answer to the first question, I’m happy to answer the second question.”
Brown hit back at criticisms made by Hoy and the Scottish Tories that the SNP would always put their “constitutional obsession above Scotland’s real priorities”.
Maxwell continued to press Brown on how a de facto referendum would help move independence forward.
Brown added: “The answer to that question is it has to be put to the UK Government. Why do they want to deny democracy?
“In the last few days, we’ve seen Polynesia exerting its right to self-determination, the response of the French Government is to take note of that and try and move forward.
“It’s the UK Government that’s acting peculiarly, wrongly and in my view in this regard like a rogue state.
“We’re trying to find a democratic route to express the wishes of the people of Scotland as they’ve endorsed in repeated elections and that to me is entirely legitimate.”
Response to Tory claims
On claims from the Scottish Conservatives that the SNP should be focused on the cost of living crisis, Brown said this was a “false dichotomy”.
He continued: “The idea that people in Scotland are not suffering, having to pay up to 20% food inflation, having interest rate increase upon interest rate increase, seeing their mortgages going up, seeing energy costs, the complete mishandling of the energy market.
“These are present and real things to the people in Scotland and one of the routes out of that is to be an independent country.”
He said it was “perfectly legitimate” for a party that won an election on the promise of independence to hold a convention such as the one in June.
