GREEN MSP VOTES FOR SCOTLAND’S RIGHT TO DECIDE ITS FUTURE
Giving one of the main speeches in favour, West of Scotland Green MSP Ross Greer voted for the people of Scotland to have their say between independence or the Tories’ Brexit Britain. Alongside Green co-convenor Patrick Harvie he successfully passed an amendment supporting the right of 16 & 17 year olds and European citizens living in Scotland to vote in a future referendum, just as they did in the 2014 referendum and unlike in 2016 when they were denied that right.
Greer, who is the Scottish Greens’ external affairs spokesperson, says that 2018, when the details of the Brexit deal are known, would give voters in Scotland a choice between independence and walking off a “Hard Brexit cliff”.
West of Scotland MSP Ross Greer said:
“There are only two options left open to us, the disaster of the Tories’ Hard Brexit or putting Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands with independence. It should be our responsibility, as those elected by the people of Scotland – to fight for their right to choose their own future and not have it decided for them by a Westminster Tory government Scotland did not elect.
“In the next two years 27 other European countries will get to decide Scotland’s future through the Brexit process, as well as the Tories at Westminster. It would be wrong to deny the people who live and work here the right to decide as well. Now that Scotland’s parliament has voted for that, the question for our Labour and Lib Dem colleagues is, will they stand with the parliament elected by the people of Scotland or with a Tory government at Westminster trying to veto decisions of that parliament?
“On the same day Theresa May talks about Britain’s right to self-determination, she has denied that to Scotland. The UK is clearly no family of nations. An independent Scotland on the other hand, could be the progressive, internationalist country I believe most of us would like to see.”