He once said that the independence referendum was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity but Alex Salmond has brushed aside any illusions that the SNP are not desperately hoping, and planning, for a second vote. On the Andrew Marr Show, Salmond said that another referendum is ‘inevitable’ and the only question is of timing — something he said is ‘very much in the hands of Nicola Sturgeon’.
Salmond went on to explain three criteria that could be used to show ‘material change in circumstances’ for Scotland and thus trigger another referendum:
‘I can see three issues which are moving things towards a second referendum on a timescale yet to be determined. One is the refusal to deliver The Vow. The Vow was about home rule, devo to the max, near-federalism, to quote Gordon Brown. That has not been delivered – as yet, at least – in the Scotland Bill so that’s an issue.
‘The second issue is the one that’s been cast up quite a lot, and that’s the European issue. If you had a situation, a circumstance where Scotland voted to stay in the European Union in a referendum but was dragged out on the votes of the people of England, then that would be a material change in circumstance.
‘And the third thing emerging of course comes out from the Budget and the welfare bill, which is austerity. Instead of getting devo to the max, we’re getting austerity to the max and that divergent view of what’s right in social terms between Scotland and England is another issue which is moving things towards another referendum.’
Given their landslide victory at the general election, the SNP think that a second referendum would go in their favour. Sturgeon has previously dodged the question, refusing to acknowledge or deny whether the party is plotting another referendum. While she remains coy, Salmond has offered the clearest indication yet that the party is planning for one.
But while the Union remains intact, Salmond sees Jeremy Corbyn as a man he can work with. He told Marr that a Corbyn-led Labour party is one that the SNP would happily work with:
‘I think that Jeremy Corbyn is a serious politician. I think this treatment of him, this demonization — I’m quite familiar with it incidentally — that demonisation in the metropolitan press gives no ideas of the substance that he has. I’ve known him for many years but that doesn’t mean that I agree with him with anything.’
‘The one advantage of Jeremy Corbyn is that you know where he stood on certain issues. You know absolutely that you could cooperate as an opposition against the welfare bill, I would know absolutely that when Trident renewal vote— the proposal to waste £100 billion a new generation of nuclear weapons — comes up, you know exactly we’d have a means of co-operation.’
The Tories managed to win the last election by painting Ed Miliband in the pocket of Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. Just imagine the success they could have with Corbyn instead.
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