IF WE CAN HAVE AN ELECTION DURING COVID, WHY NOT A REFERENDUM?

Record numbers of Scots turned out to vote in the Holyrood election earlier this month

WHY is it not possible for people in Scotland to hold a binary choice independence referendum until the Covid pandemic is under control when it was possible to hold a multi party national election on May 6 with apparently no ill effects?

If there is no health reason, why do we not have the referendum now, given that while the Westminster parliament considers that it is superior to that of Edinburgh, the House of Commons contains on overwhelming majority of independence-supporting Scottish MPs? It thus has within its own walls a democratic mandate that requires a referendum to answer it. As English law (under which Westminster operates) is based on precedent, are there not sufficient precedents in the previous referenda on Scottish independence of 2014 and that of Brexit 2016, which was advisory yet was put into force during the pandemic?

If such a referendum is to proceed immediately to decide on the independence of Scotland, is it necessary for the Scottish Government to waste much energy on matters which will be completely changed by independence?

During the process of the referendum it is the convention that other countries do not intervene (Russian in the USA). Would it not be right that we insist that English media do not interfere in the Scottish referendum?

As 62% of Scotland voted in the Brexit referendum to remain, would it not be correct to start discussions with the EU for our accession now, or at least establish the principle that we would aim to be compliant with EU standards as much as possible? Would it not be wise to aim at joining the euro, given that the pound would be vulnerable to manipulation by commercial and political forces, while the euro is more stable?

If the result of the referendum is against independence, this does not obviate the possibility of future referendums but creates a precedent to have further examples if the democratic deficiency is not corrected immediately. To correct it would require that Westminster removes inequalities root and branch. Obeying international law by getting rid of Trident would do for a start.

Iain WD Forde

Scotlandwell