SNP activists are urging the party to commit to setting a date for a second independence referendum and give a concrete definition of what it means for the Covid-19 pandemic to have passed.
Their calls have been made in proposed changes to a resolution on indyref2 due to be debated at the online conference next month.
The motion notes the publication of a draft Referendum Bill in Holyrood, and welcomes a manifesto commitment to pass the legislation and hold a new vote “as soon as it is safe to hold a proper, detailed, serious national debate on independence”.
READ MORE: 'Making real change' or 'talking about it': Lorna Slater on Green choice
It also states: “Conference believes that people in Scotland should not have their health, wellbeing and future economic potential compromised by holding a referendum on independence before it is safe to do so, and that this decision should be determined by data-driven criteria about the clear end to the public health crisis, which would allow a full, normal, and energetic referendum campaign.”
But in amendments, members want the party to be more specific on the timing of a new vote and on what measure is to be used in judging when the coronavirus crisis is over.
They want the Scottish Government to announce the day of the vote as soon as the draft bill is passed and it is safe for a national campaign to get underway.
READ MORE: Will talk of a ‘Covid crisis’ period kick independence into the long grass?
“The conference welcomes the draft Referendum Bill published before the recent Scottish Parliamentary elections and the commitment in our manifesto to passing that bill right away at Holyrood. The date for holding a referendum should thereafter be set by ministers as soon as it is safe to hold a proper, detailed, serious national campaign on independence,” the amendment says.
On how to define when the pandemic is over, the amendment suggests a definition could be when all of Scotland has been on Level 0 or lower of the Covid restrictions system for a month.
The amendment states: “Conference believes that people in Scotland should not have their health, wellbeing and future economic potential compromised by holding a referendum on independence while Covid cases are at a high level. This decision should be determined by health criteria, for example a period of a full month in which all areas of Scotland are in Level 0 or lower. This would allow a full, normal, and energetic referendum campaign.”
The members make a final point calling for the next Scottish Parliament elections in 2026 to be used as a de facto independence referendum should a vote on the matter not take place before then.
“If, for whatever reason, an independence referendum does not happen before the next Scottish Parliament elections, scheduled for 2026, conference calls on the ballot boxes at the next Scottish Parliamentary elections to be used for a direct mandate on independence. This would be by a majority of pro-independence MSPs being elected,” the amendment states.
The amendments have been submitted to conferences committee by the party’s Dalkeith branch, whose members includes Colin Beattie (below), the MSP and national treasurer.
The branch passed the amendment unanimously last week. It was then submitted to SNP national secretary Stewart Stevenson, who is the conferences committee convener.
It is understood Beattie approved the amendments as a branch member. Members of the conferences committee will now decide if the amendment is accepted onto the final agenda.
The SNP manifesto for the Holyrood election commits the party to holding an independence referendum within the current parliamentary session, which continues until 2026.
Nicola Sturgeon has said she wants the vote to be held in the first part of parliamentary term so long as the Covid-19 pandemic has passed.
Announcing the power sharing deal between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Greens on Friday, the First Minister said she hoped to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence by the end of 2023.
The pact formalises the pro-independence majority in Holyrood, after the SNP fell just one seat short of an overall majority in May’s elections. The addition of seven Scottish Green seats will allow the Scottish Government to comfortably pass legislation, including a new independence referendum bill.
Under the deal, two Scottish Green MSPs, most likely the party’s co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, are expected to become ministers in the Scottish Government.
All of Scotland moved to Level 0 on July 19 and then 'beyond' Level 0 on August 9.
The latest officials figures released on Sunday recorded 3,190 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours. No deaths were recorded of someone who tested positive for the virus over the past 28 days. However, there can be an under reporting of deaths at weekends.
The number of new cases marked the fourth day in a row more than 3,000 cases have been recorded, but is down from the 3,464 reported on Saturday.
The daily figures reported by the Scottish Government have been rising from a low of around 800 when restrictions were relaxed.
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