https://sputnikglobe.com/20230216/snp-westminster-leader-urges-party-to-pause-indy-conference-as-sturgeon-quits-1107511304.html
SNP Westminster Leader Urges Party to 'Pause' Indy Conference as Sturgeon Quits
SNP Westminster Leader Urges Party to 'Pause' Indy Conference as Sturgeon Quits
Sputnik International
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's unexpected resignation — after eight years at the head of her separatist party — has thrown next month's 'special democracy conference' in Edinburgh into chaos.
2023-02-16T16:56+0000
2023-02-16T16:56+0000
2023-02-16T16:56+0000
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The top Scottish nationalist in Parliament has called for a looming conference on his party's independence strategy to be postponed after its leader suddenly quit.Scottish National Party (SNP) House of Commons group leader Stephen Flynn made the call hours after Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation at a hastily-convened press conference on Wednesday morning.Party delegates are set to gather for the 'special democracy conference' at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on March 19 to debate how to engineer a re-run of the 2014 independence referendum, which the SNP-led 'Yes' campaign lost by a margin of ten per cent.Sturgeon had already lost a court challenge to former British prime minister Boris Johnson's decision to deny her demand for a second vote on the pretext of Britain's exit from the European Union, which around a third of Scottish voters backed.One alternative strategy floated is for the SNP to call a snap election to the devolved Scottish parliament later this year, in which it would campaign on a sole manifesto policy of independence, then hold up the result as a de-facto plebiscite. However, the nationalists vote in the 2021 Holyrood election was only about the same as the 45 per cent support for the Yes campaign in 2014.Flynn reiterated his stance on Thursday, saying the party should wait until a new leader was in place before re-convening the conference.If interpreted strictly by the book, SNP party rules mean the process for electing a new leader would take more than four months.Flynn also defended the controversial Gender Recognition Reform (GRR) bill, pushed through the Holyrood assembly in late December by the SNP and its Scottish Greens allies despite opposition from women's groups.Sturgeon's resignation has widely been credited to a huge slump in support for independence since early January after transgender double rapist Isla Bryson — who went by his birth name Adam Graham until after his initial court appearance — was briefly sent to an all-women jail following his conviction.But the MP declined to comment on whether the legislation should now be amended after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak invoked powers written into the 1998 Scotland Act — which created the devolved parliament and government — to stop it becoming law."It’s incumbent upon a new leader to try and find a path that allows us to have that positive discussion as to why this legislation is necessary, whilst of course addressing the understandable concerns."Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell — the SNP chief executive — are also under legal scrutiny as Police Scotland have 'stepped up' their investigation into the apparent disappearance of nearly £500,000 raised from supporters to campaign for independence around the time of the 2017 snap UK general election.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230215/nicola-sturgeon-to-resign-as-scottish-first-minister-1107457082.html
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SNP Westminster Leader Urges Party to 'Pause' Indy Conference as Sturgeon Quits
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's unexpected resignation — after eight years at the head of her separatist party — has thrown next month's 'special democracy conference' in Edinburgh into chaos.
The top Scottish nationalist in Parliament has called for a looming conference on his party's independence strategy to be postponed after its leader suddenly quit.
Scottish National Party (SNP) House of Commons group leader Stephen Flynn made the call hours after Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her
resignation at a hastily-convened press conference on Wednesday morning.
"I actually think the conference should be paused," Flynn told British state-funded media. "The party should give the new leader the opportunity to set out their stance, their vision at how they see us getting to that independent future."
Party delegates are set to gather for the 'special democracy conference' at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on March 19 to debate how to engineer a re-run of the 2014 independence referendum, which the SNP-led 'Yes' campaign lost by a margin of ten per cent.
Sturgeon had already lost a court challenge to former British prime minister Boris Johnson's decision to deny her demand for a second vote on the pretext of Britain's exit from the European Union, which around a third of Scottish voters backed.
One alternative strategy floated is for the SNP to call a snap election to the devolved Scottish parliament later this year, in which it would campaign on a sole manifesto policy of independence, then hold up the result as a de-facto plebiscite. However, the nationalists vote in the 2021 Holyrood election was only about the same as the 45 per cent support for the Yes campaign in 2014.
Flynn reiterated his stance on Thursday, saying the party should wait until a new leader was in place before re-convening the conference.
"They should have the opportunity and indeed the space to set out their position, their values and their intentions going forward," he said. "I think it’s sensible that we do hit the pause button on that conference and allow the new leader the opportunity to set out their vision."
If interpreted strictly by the book, SNP party rules mean the process for electing a new leader would take more than four months.
15 February 2023, 10:02 GMT
Flynn also defended the controversial Gender Recognition Reform (GRR) bill, pushed through the Holyrood assembly in late December by the SNP and its Scottish Greens allies despite opposition from women's groups.
Sturgeon's resignation has widely been credited to a huge slump in support for independence since early January after transgender double rapist
Isla Bryson — who went by his birth name Adam Graham until after his initial court appearance — was briefly sent to an
all-women jail following his conviction.
"This legislation was put in place to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society, to offer them a better life and better opportunities," Flynn insisted.
But the MP declined to comment on whether the legislation should now be
amended after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak invoked powers written into the 1998 Scotland Act — which created the devolved parliament and government — to stop it becoming law.
"It’s incumbent upon a new leader to try and find a path that allows us to have that positive discussion as to why this legislation is necessary, whilst of course addressing the understandable concerns."
Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell — the SNP chief executive — are also under legal scrutiny as Police Scotland have 'stepped up' their investigation into the apparent disappearance of nearly £500,000 raised from supporters to campaign for independence around the time of the 2017 snap UK general election.
