I REFER to your articles “Nicola Sturgeon expected to unveil plans for second independence referendum,” (Aug 30) and “Common Weal study reveals key factors in polling shifts for Yes vote” (Aug 29).
The latter appeared to draw the conclusion that the “Stop Brexit” strategy had been an overall negative one in terms of building and sustaining an indy majority in the polls, and the former indicated that Nicola Sturgeon will be making an announcement of more details about indyref2 as early as this week.
In terms of the former, let’s hope so. And let’s hope the question put will be whether Scots want independence for Scotland, not “independence in the EU” which is a conflation of two different and separate questions.
Of course, we look forward to any announcement from Nicola Sturgeon that concretises a definite plan for holding and winning a second indyref between now and 2024.
Scotland needs independence as a matter of urgency – but is much less likely to achieve it if EU membership is conflated with independence. This is because one in three Yes voters are EU-sceptic.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon expected to unveil plans for second independence referendum
Unfortunately, both the SNP and Greens continue to make the very error which has seen support for independence drop from 55% in polling last year to regularly under 49% now.
Their joint agreement states: “The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party believe that independence within the EU would provide the best conditions for Scotland, the people who live here, and future generations, to thrive. We will give people a choice about Scotland’s future in this parliamentary session…”
They are entitled to their position, of course – but where is the democratic representation of the one in three Yes voters who would prefer to keep an independent Scotland OUT of the neoliberal capitalist institution that is the EU, or would prefer EFTA membership as a compromise?
Not only is tying EU membership to the independence vote wrong in democratic principle, it is likely to alienate a set of potential Yes voters and make winning indyref2 a much harder proposition.
Those in the indy movement who bang the drum for the EU face a great contradiction: the more they link EU membership with independence the more they are to lose indyref2 and find themselves outside their beloved EU permanently. A hard border with England is a difficult sell to those softer voters we need to try to win to the Yes side.
READ MORE: Common Weal study reveals key factors in polling shifts for Yes vote
We have argued – and shall continue to make the argument – that independence should be the only issue put to the Scottish people at this time.
Yes parties should commit to giving the Scottish people their own referendum on whether or not to rejoin the EU, or join Efta instead, or take a wholly independent path, but only ONCE independence itself has been secured in the indyref vote.
In short, let’s unite all potential YES voters – pro-EU and EU-sceptic – to get INDY FIRST ... and let the sovereign Scottish people decide their own relationship with the EU in a democratic ballot, based on the arguments and circumstances of the time, in the first parliament of our newly independent Scotland.
Failure to properly separate the two issues of independence and whether or not an indy Scotand should be in the EU is not just wrong in principle, but could cost us victory in indyref2, whenever it is to be held.
Independence must be about creating real choices for the people of an independent Scotland, not about closing those choices down to one narrow political path. The SNP and Greens should take note – you cannot build a winning coalition of Yes voters by bulldozing your way past the EU-sceptic views of one in three Yes voters. Let’s unite and win indy frst.
Let’s get the opinion polls back up into a winning margin by publicly promising that we keep the 2014 question as it was, that that question will be about independence and nothing more or less.
And that other constitutional matters – such as EU membership – will be decided by the sovereign Scottish people in their own democratic plebiscite once independence is achieved and secured.
Steve Arnott
Inverness
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