Whether you are for or against independence, most of us would agree that the decision to leave or stay in the United Kingdom should rest with the people of Scotland.
Yet, as things stand, that fundamental democratic right is now being denied by a Tory Prime Minister who could not even win an election within his own party and tumbled into No10 Downing Street through the back door after the Liz Truss shambles fell out the front.
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that Westminster is firmly in control of Scotland’s future as a nation, regardless of what the electorate think. We know for certain that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to call a referendum without the prior approval of the UK Government.
That verdict was not unexpected and was immediately accepted by all parties, including the SNP. The judges were asked to rule on a point of law and did so in a clear and prompt fashion. They can’t be blamed for the political fallout that follows.
But the situation Scotland now finds itself in is unacceptable. The Scottish Government has been very clear on its intention to hold a second referendum. The SNP and Scottish Greens campaigned separately on this issue ahead of the 2021 Holyrood election and duly returned a majority of MSPs in favour of an IndyRef2.
But they now find themselves unable to deliver on a policy they have a clear mandate for. Powers over the constitution are reserved to Westminster. Yesterday’s verdict made that clear. What is not clear is how the Scottish people can ever find a path to a second referendum, should they wish to hold one.
We are in a situation where the nation’s future can be decided on a whim by whoever is the current leader of a chaotic Conservative Party that changes the person at the top every few weeks. We urge both the Westminster and Holyrood governments to sit down and negotiate what a path to any future referendum would look like, in order to restore faith in the democratic process.
Such a task will require diplomacy, tact and strategic thinking on both sides, but it must be done. The UK Government simply cannot block this issue for ever.
There needs to be a political solution involving both the UK and Scottish Governments. This was achieved in 2012 with the Edinburgh Agreement between Alex Salmond and David Cameron.
At the time, it was viewed as a one-off deal. Now a new agreement must be reached that respects the right of the Scottish people to choose our future.
To leave the issue festering will bring into disrepute the democratic principles we all share – whether we are Yes, No or somewhere in between.
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