Humza Yousaf, the leader of Scotland, is optimistic that his country’s desire of independence would materialise within the next ten years, despite the fact that his government is losing support due to the biggest crisis in recent times.
Humza Yousaf dream of independence: The pro-independence Scottish National Party, which has held sway over Scottish politics for almost two decades, has suffered from infighting, voter fatigue, and scandals, including the incarceration of its charismatic former leader Nicola Sturgeon.
In a vote that indicated dozens of the party’s politicians could lose their seats at the next election, Britain’s main opposition Labour Party this month reclaimed a parliamentary seat in Scotland from the SNP. Last week, another SNP legislator defected to the Conservatives over allegations of bullying.
“There is no use pretending otherwise; it has been challenging. The past six months have likely been the most challenging in our party’s recent history, Yousaf told Reuters at his party’s annual conference in Aberdeen.
“Unfortunately, these obstacles don’t arrive in sets of one or two, but rather, they come in waves. However, despite the difficulties, we continue to outperform the rivals if you look at almost every survey that is released.
The SNP became one of the most powerful political parties in western Europe after winning 48 out of 59 seats in the most recent election, which took place in 2019. However, a recent YouGov survey found that their lead over Labour in Scotland was only two percentage points. In 2019, Labour won one seat in Scotland, where it had held the majority.
“ROCK SOLID” SUPPORT FOR INDEPENDENCE
Yousaf asserted his certainty about the impending independence of Scotland. Polls indicate that, despite a fall in SNP popularity, there is still some disagreement in Scotland about independence.
“Support for independence is rock solid, but support for the SNP has dipped,” he claimed. When asked if Scotland would become independent in the coming ten years, he responded, “Without a doubt.” In ten years, I’d like to think everything will be well.
In a referendum held in 2014, Scots rejected ending the country’s more than 300-year union with England by a margin of 55% to 45%. Nationalists contend, however, that because the majority of Scottish voters opposed it, the 2016 vote to exit the European Union fundamentally altered everything.
Under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was extremely unpopular in Scotland, pro-independence sentiments became more adamant.
Yousaf stated that condemning Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration in London could only go so far and that he needed to provide a constructive picture of what an independent Scotland would look like, including improved worker protections and initiatives to combat poverty.
A Westminster government’s acceptance of a second referendum, in his opinion, is the biggest challenge that may be surmounted with persistent support for independence.
The Scottish government cannot call a second referendum on independence without the consent of the British parliament, the British Supreme Court ruled last year.
Yousaf stated over the weekend that if the SNP gained a majority of the Westminster seats in Scotland in the upcoming national election, he would have the authority to negotiate a new vote. Pro-UK parties have opposed this position.
We must establish the political circumstances necessary for the Westminster political parties to be unable to silence Scotland’s voice, he said. “If the SNP is losing, then the cause of independence is also losing,”