(Edinburgh) Scottish independence First Minister John Swinney on Wednesday called on voters to vote for his party in the British general election in order to “increase the pressure” on London to obtain a new referendum on self-determination and revive a deadlocked fight.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has dominated local politics for around fifteen years. But he has racked up setbacks in recent months and polls suggest he is set to lose seats in the Westminster parliament to Labor led by Keir Starmer, favorite in the UK-wide July 4 poll.
“The best way to achieve independence is through a democratic referendum, but the obstacle to that is the intransigence of the United Kingdom government,” declared John Swinney, unveiling the program of his party to Edinburgh.
He promised to launch “negotiations” with London if his party retained the majority of MP seats representing Scotland.
This objective is far from being achieved. The left-wing SNP currently controls 43 of Scotland’s 59 constituencies, compared to just two for centre-left Labor and seven for the Conservatives. Deputies are elected by a simple majority in one round.
Polls now show it ahead of Labor, dominant until 2010. The latest seat projection from the Ipsos institute grants only 15 seats to the SNP while highlighting the small difference in votes with Labor.
The party is weakened by the resignation last year of the charismatic Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, an investigation into its financing and its failure to force London to accept a new independence referendum.
The last vote, in 2014, was won by a 55% “no” vote, but the separatists argue that the 2016 Brexit, which the majority of Scots opposed, changed the situation.
Labor is strongly opposed to Scottish independence, like the Tories who have been in power for 14 years in the United Kingdom.
In addition to this issue, the SNP criticizes the party well placed to form the next government for a centrist position on economic issues.
“Labor will continue what the Tories started in terms of public spending cuts and the result will be disastrous for Scotland,” argued John Swinney.
