ALBA Party leader Alex Salmond has said the First Minister is “standing at the Rubicon” and must focus on independence rather than gender self-ID reform.
The former first minister made the comments as he addressed the party’s National Council meeting in Ayr yesterday.
He said that there will be “no turning back” for Nicola Sturgeon if she continues with gender recognition reform plans.
Salmond told members: “Of all the issues to pitch a tent for a constitutional battle with Westminster, gender self-identification should not be one of them.
“Our inalienable right to self-determination and the absurd situation that people across Scotland are struggling to pay their electricity and gas bills when we live in a land of energy plenty are the issues to fight that battle on.
“The job of those trusted with the leadership of the independence movement is to build a coalition of people from across Scotland, from all backgrounds, that leads to a majority of people in favour of Scottish independence.
“This strategy served us well for many years. However, the recent obsession with the issue of self-identification risks completely losing the trust of a large section women’s rights campaigners when it comes to the constitutional issue.
“There are many issues where Scotland should be directly challenging Westminster. This debate is not one of them.
“The Scottish Government have a choice. They can accept the damage that this policy is causing, they can reflect on the valid concerns that were raised and adopt the sensible safeguarding proposals that were put forward by the nine SNP rebel MSPs and then move the independence debate back onto high ground or they can choose to make this issue the Rubicon that they cross by ploughing ahead with legal action to challenge Westminster.
“Such a legal action would be costly in scarce public funds and politically punitive in throwing away support for independence.
“Given that they are now in headlong retreat from the implications of their own policy as regards the prison estate, it would be nonsensical to base a legal and constitutional challenge upon it.
“The First Minister must by now be aware that if her Government continues to progress a policy that is rejected by an overwhelming majority of people in Scotland, then there will be no turning back from the damage this will do to the cause of Scottish independence.
“Right now we have a situation that millions of people are struggling to pay their electricity and gas bills in Scotland when they know we are a land that is many times self-sufficient in oil and gas, and where we already generate enough electricity through clean, green and affordable renewables to power every home and much more.
“This is the ground on which we should challenge Westminster rule and this is the sort of argument that increases support for Scottish independence.
“It’s time for the Scottish Government to reflect, take on board the concerns of the country and get back to the job of building support for independence – and providing the political strategy to deliver it.”
At the National Council, the party also backed calls for a special Holyrood election in October this year to be held as a de facto independence referendum.
Alba’s depute general secretary Corri Wilson said: “The Scottish Government told us there would be a referendum on independence this year, no ifs no buts. But there has been no political effort to force Westminster to concede to several mandates to hold a referendum.
“A Holyrood election this year would allow the election to be on the sole issue of Scottish independence. It would seek a mandate not to hold a referendum but to enter into independence negotiations with Westminster if that’s what the people of Scotland vote for.”
