Spurred on by Scotland: Catalonian President signs decree for independence referendum September 27, 2014 The independence movement in the Spanish region of Catalonia is gathering momentum. This morning, its President Artur Mas signed a decree calling for a referendum to take place on 9 November. Earlier in September, Catalonian lawmakers voted in favour of going ahead with an independence referendum by a margin of 106 to 28. The [...]
Support for Welsh independence hits record low after Scottish referendum September 24, 2014 After the drama of the Scottish referendum, support for Welsh independence has fallen to its lowest ever level. 44.7 per cent of Scots votedf for independence, but only three per cent of Welsh people want to be independent. According to a BBC/ICM poll 49 per cent thought that the Welsh Assembly should have more control while [...]
Nicola Sturgeon launches bid for SNP leadership after Scottish Independence No vote and Alex Salmond resignation September 24, 2014 Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s deputy first minister, has launched a bid to become the next leader of the Scottish National Party following the resignation of Alex Salmond. Sturgeon announced her intention to run for the leadership of the party, of which she is also currently the deputy leader, in Glasgow today. Salmond said on Friday that [...]
Scottish independence referendum: Claims of vote rigging lead to petitions demanding recount September 22, 2014 Claims of vote rigging durig the Scottish independence referendum have led to calls for a recount. Over 88,000 people signed a petition at change.org entitled "We the undersigned demand a revote of the Scottish Referendum, counted by impartial international parties." The accusations of vote rigging centre around videos and photos shared on social media that [...]
Alex Salmond: “No” voters in independence referendum have been misled by devolution promises September 21, 2014 Alex Salmond believes "No" voters in the Scottish independence referendum have been misled by false promises of more devolutionary powers. Speaking to the BBC's Sunday Politics programme, Salmond claimed the three main UK party leaders' devolution vows were "cooked up in desperation for the last few days of the campaign." Scotland voted against independence on [...]
Gordon Brown: “Pre-referendum promises will be kept following Scottish independence defeat” September 20, 2014 In light of defeat for those seeking independence for Scotland, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown says guarantees made ahead of the referendum on change and further devolution will be delivered. On Thursday, the “No” campaign beat the “Yes” campaign by 2,001,926 votes to 1,617,989, resulting in Scotland remaining part of the UK. Describing [...]
Alex Salmond resigns after failing to secure Scotland independence vote September 19, 2014 Alex Salmond is to resign as Scotland's first minister after he failed to secure a Yes vote in yesterday's Scottish independence referendum. The head of the Scottish National Party has been at the helm in the country since 2007 and overseen a huge upsurge in support for the SNP. But after the No campaign [...]
Will interests rates rise early after No vote in the Scottish independence referendum? September 19, 2014 The No vote in the Scottish independence referendum could make an interest rate next spring more likely. Despite the No vote, however, the consensus is that it remains unlikely that rates will rise before then. A Yes vote could well have postponed any hike. In a recent speech Mark Carney said he saw a rate rise next [...]
What is devo-max and what new devolution powers will Scotland have after the independence referendum results? September 19, 2014 Simply put, devolution means that the Scottish parliament gets more power. Currently, Scotland can make policy across a range of areas, including healthcare and education. This is why university is free in Scotland, even as tuition fees soar in England. Westminster rules the roost when in comes to some key areas: immigration, foreign policy, energy [...]
Who won? How Edinburgh voted in Scotland’s independence referendum – results map and charts. September 19, 2014 The results are in and only four council districts voted Yes in the Scottish independence referendum. Dundee, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire were those choosing independence, while the other 28 made it clear they wished to remain part of the UK. Of those, the most important was Glasgow, where 53.5 per cent of people [...]