SCOTLAND in Union chief executive Pamela Nash has claimed Westminster is blocking an independence referendum because it’s “not in Scotland’s interests”.
Speaking on STV in a debate with pro-independence activist Lesley Riddoch, the former Labour MP insisted the Scots don’t want another vote when she was asked if there was a way for Scotland to have another lawful and democratic poll.
But Riddoch hit back pointing to a “little thing called democracy” which, she said, it looked as if UK parties don’t care about anymore.
The Supreme Court is currently deliberating whether Holyrood can legislate for a referendum without Westminster giving the green light.
Nash said: “Westminster is saying no to a referendum because it’s not in the interests of the people of Scotland and it’s not what the people of Scotland want.”
As presenter Colin Mackay pointed out there was a bigger pro-independence majority at Holyrood than there was during the last referendum in 2014, Nash replied: “Every poll recently, before and after the recent problems that Liz Truss has had, I should say, is saying that people don’t want a referendum.
Westminster is blocking a referendum because it’s not in Scotland’s interest says Pamela Nash. As if we’re incapable of making that decision ourselves. WM knows best. No the Tories are blocking a referendum because they know they will lose. https://t.co/ycmkVf0PMA
— Toni Giugliano (@ToniGiugliano) October 19, 2022
“Even those who support independence, many of those don’t think there should be a referendum any time soon. We can’t just keep asking the question because the SNP want to ask it.
“They [the SNP] have ignored the people of Scotland since they said no firmly in 2014.”
Riddoch spelled out to Nash that the SNP had won repeated mandates to hold another independence referendum and polls suggesting a slim victory for Unionists should not trump “the democratic will of the people”.
She added Scotland was “stuck” in the Union with a government it didn’t vote for, and the situation would remain so even if a General Election was held.
Riddoch said: “There’s a little thing called democracy and elections.
“You know, election after election, mandate after mandate. You can’t go along just deciding that whenever a poll comes along that it’s going to trump the democratic will of the people, as expressed in elections.
“So if that doesn’t mean anything – and it actually looks from the UK parties point of view as if it doesn’t mean anything anymore - then where are we?
“We should be having a General Election right now, but we are stuck in a festering government that Scots didn’t vote for, that opinion polls predict will be completely removed at the next General Election from Scotland again, and we have no way to go further than that.
“We just get stuck here forever.”
Toni Giugliano, SNP policy development convener, claimed Westminster was blocking an election because the Conservatives "know they will lose".
He said on Twitter: "Westminster is blocking a referendum because it’s not in Scotland’s interest, says Pamela Nash. As if we’re incapable of making that decision ourselves.
"WM [Westminster] knows best. No, the Tories are blocking a referendum because they know they will lose."
