FORD
05-08-2011, 03:15 AM
Scottish Election 2011: Scotland to vote on leaving UK after nationalists surge to overall majority
Scotland will vote on leaving the United Kingdom after Alex Salmond’s nationalists swept to victory in elections to the Scottish Parliament.
By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent 7:30AM BST 07 May 2011
The Scottish National Party yesterday won an outright majority, the first party to do so since devolution in 1999.
The victory will allow Mr Salmond to trigger a referendum on Scottish independence during the next five-year parliament, the first formal challenge to the Union of England and Scotland in its 304-year history. In a surprisingly emphatic win, the SNP claimed 65 seats in the 129-seat Holyrood parliament.
Mr Salmond, returned as First Minister, said his party’s success would allow him to call a vote on leaving the UK.
“In this parliament, we shall bring forward a referendum and trust the people with Scotland’s constitutional future,” he said. Before the election, Mr Salmond said a referendum would be held in the second half of the parliament, meaning 2013 at the earliest.
The nationalist surge represented a humiliation for the Labour Party, which had been expected to win in Edinburgh. Iain Gray, the Scottish Labour leader, said he would step down this year, describing his party’s results as “dreadful”.
Conservative ministers admitted privately that Mr Salmond’s strengthened position would raise a long-term problem for David Cameron.
In theory, ministers at Westminster could change the law that created the Scottish Parliament to prevent the SNP holding a referendum. But Mr Cameron signalled he would not try to stop a vote being held.
“I will do anything as British Prime Minister to work with the Scottish First Minister and to treat the Scottish people and the Scottish government with the respect they deserve,” he said. “If they want to hold a referendum, I will campaign to keep our United Kingdom together with every single fibre that I have.” Before the election campaign began, polls gave Labour a comfortable lead over the SNP, whose promise of an independent Scotland had been battered by the financial crisis that effectively bankrupted similar-sized nations including Iceland and Ireland.
In a speech in Scotland last year, Ed Miliband declared that his party’s “fightback has begun,” a claim that was widely mocked yesterday by Conservatives.
The Labour leader said his party had had “a very disappointing election result in Scotland – we need to learn the lessons of that result”.
Even as they revelled in Mr Miliband’s setback, some Conservative ministers were worried about the implications of the SNP victory for the Union.
One Government source said: “This is Ed Miliband’s problem today, but in the long term, it’s something for us to worry about.”
In Wales, Labour emerged as the largest party in the Cardiff assembly, but fell short of claiming a majority with 30 out of 60 seats. The result could see Welsh Labour seeking to form a coalition with another party, potentially the Liberal Democrats.
Link (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/scottish-politics/8499427/Scottish-Election-2011-Scotland-to-vote-on-leaving-UK-after-nationalists-surge-to-overall-majority.html)
Scotland will vote on leaving the United Kingdom after Alex Salmond’s nationalists swept to victory in elections to the Scottish Parliament.
By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent 7:30AM BST 07 May 2011
The Scottish National Party yesterday won an outright majority, the first party to do so since devolution in 1999.
The victory will allow Mr Salmond to trigger a referendum on Scottish independence during the next five-year parliament, the first formal challenge to the Union of England and Scotland in its 304-year history. In a surprisingly emphatic win, the SNP claimed 65 seats in the 129-seat Holyrood parliament.
Mr Salmond, returned as First Minister, said his party’s success would allow him to call a vote on leaving the UK.
“In this parliament, we shall bring forward a referendum and trust the people with Scotland’s constitutional future,” he said. Before the election, Mr Salmond said a referendum would be held in the second half of the parliament, meaning 2013 at the earliest.
The nationalist surge represented a humiliation for the Labour Party, which had been expected to win in Edinburgh. Iain Gray, the Scottish Labour leader, said he would step down this year, describing his party’s results as “dreadful”.
Conservative ministers admitted privately that Mr Salmond’s strengthened position would raise a long-term problem for David Cameron.
In theory, ministers at Westminster could change the law that created the Scottish Parliament to prevent the SNP holding a referendum. But Mr Cameron signalled he would not try to stop a vote being held.
“I will do anything as British Prime Minister to work with the Scottish First Minister and to treat the Scottish people and the Scottish government with the respect they deserve,” he said. “If they want to hold a referendum, I will campaign to keep our United Kingdom together with every single fibre that I have.” Before the election campaign began, polls gave Labour a comfortable lead over the SNP, whose promise of an independent Scotland had been battered by the financial crisis that effectively bankrupted similar-sized nations including Iceland and Ireland.
In a speech in Scotland last year, Ed Miliband declared that his party’s “fightback has begun,” a claim that was widely mocked yesterday by Conservatives.
The Labour leader said his party had had “a very disappointing election result in Scotland – we need to learn the lessons of that result”.
Even as they revelled in Mr Miliband’s setback, some Conservative ministers were worried about the implications of the SNP victory for the Union.
One Government source said: “This is Ed Miliband’s problem today, but in the long term, it’s something for us to worry about.”
In Wales, Labour emerged as the largest party in the Cardiff assembly, but fell short of claiming a majority with 30 out of 60 seats. The result could see Welsh Labour seeking to form a coalition with another party, potentially the Liberal Democrats.
Link (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/scottish-politics/8499427/Scottish-Election-2011-Scotland-to-vote-on-leaving-UK-after-nationalists-surge-to-overall-majority.html)