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Scottish nationals have two supra-national citizenships. One is UK citizenship, the second is EU citizenship. In democratic referenda over the past two years, Scots have voted clearly to retain both citizenships.
Unfortunately it is not possible to respect both democratic decisions of the Scottish people, due to a vote by other nationalities. So where you have democratic decisions which cannot both be implemented, which does democracy demand should take precedence?
It is not a simple question. The vote to retain EU citizenship was more recent and carried a much larger majority than the earlier vote. In addition it was made crystal clear during the campaign that it may require the overturning of the earlier vote. So on these grounds I believe the most recent vote must, as an exercise in democracy, have precedence.
In these circumstances the announcement by the First Minister that she is initiating the procedure on a new referendum for Scottish independence from the UK, in order to retain Scottish membership of the EU, is a sensible step.
Source: Craig Murray
Craig Murray is an author, broadcaster and human rights activist. He was British Ambassador to Uzbekistan from August 2002 to October 2004 and Rector of the University of Dundee from 2007 to 2010.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 25 2016, @05:30PM
The UK was the second largest economy inside the EU, and of the five major EU economies (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain), only Germany and the UK had decent employment statistics. That leaves Germany and the ailing France, Italy, and Spain to try to prop up France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, etc. Employment is the elephant in the room that the EU doesn't like to talk about, but it's at the root of many other problems such as migration and racism: people get along much better when they all have jobs and something profitable to do with their time. Unfortunately, the EU never seems capable of seeing its economic problems as employment problems at a human scale, but only as debt problems at a national scale. I suspect that won't change, which means that the EU's employment problems will fester. The UK seems more willing to focus on job creation and loss (much of the discussion over Brexit was about the possibility of job loss), so they might end up with a more stable society. The EU, however, without UK's economic input, will be shorthanded, and the Germans will feel much more tension between their desire to conserve their national wealth and their neighbors' desire for bailouts and fiscal transfer. The French are already paralyzed by their own internal problems (labor reform, unemployment). I suspect Brexit will end up hurting EU stability much more than the UK.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday June 25 2016, @08:22PM
While what you are saying looks correct, you are ignoring that the cause isn't really government, but gradually increasing automation. And it's happening all over the world. This is a part of why Trump has been so successful as a popular candidate. And it's not only happening in the US and Britain. It's probably a part of what makes ISIS so "popular"...though that may be more driven by droughts.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 25 2016, @10:37PM
That might upset the USA though which is having their dollar supported by Saudi Arabia and many other oil producing countries.
But it's like your neighbour buying your money to buy oil and burn up that oil every day. In short people buying your money and burning it. Helps keep you rich doesn't it?
And if more people use your currency to buy and sell stuff, whenever you print your money you are taxing everyone with positive amounts of your currency.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday June 26 2016, @12:29AM
While what you are saying looks correct, you are ignoring that the cause isn't really government, but gradually increasing automation.
Automation hasn't worked that way before and still doesn't work that way in the developing world. Sure, plenty of jobs are destroyed. But in a healthy economy that doesn't punish its employers, jobs are also created.
And it's happening all over the world. This is a part of why Trump has been so successful as a popular candidate.
There's always some cute rationalization for the ugly. The problem isn't that the jobs went away due to automation. The problem is that the people in power, as far as they have clue, don't care. Successful populists know what buttons to push.