Scottish national party to press for independence

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-04 01:34

EDINBURGH: Scotland's separatist government said Thursday that it would push for a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom next year - a proposal unlikely to go far because the nationalists are outnumbered in Scotland's parliament.

The Scottish National Party has long made breaking with Britain the focus of its political agenda, but with only 47 out of 129 seats, it lacks the parliamentary majority needed to make its referendum plan a reality.

Nationalist leader Alex Salmond called on opposition politicians to put the issue to the people.

"The people of Scotland must be heard and this parliament must not stand in their way. Let the people speak," Salmond said in a speech before Holyrood, Scotland's legislature.

Other parties showed no appetite for any such a vote. Iain Gray, who leads British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party in Scotland, said that Salmond would do better to focus on the nation's ailing economy.

"What good is the referendum bill to the men and women across Scotland who have lost their jobs or homes?" he said.

Annabel Goldie, who leads the Scottish Conservatives, called the move "constitutional vandalism."

Salmond vowed to secure independence from the UK when the Scottish National Party won control of Holyrood in 2007, but his ambitions have been complicated by the aftermath of the credit crunch. Most polls show that support for separation remains low.

However, most Scots do back the idea of having a referendum on the issue, according to a recent survey.

A telephone poll by BBC Scotland in June showed that 58 percent of Scots want a vote on independence - though it also showed that most would still vote in favor of remaining within the UK. The BBC said pollster ICM interviewed 1,010 people. No margin of error was given, but surveys of that size typically have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The Scottish parliament already has autonomy over justice, health and education. Powers over defense and foreign affairs remain with London. Although Scotland could raise some taxes, the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh has so far not done so.

Even if Scotland does eventually become independent, the Scottish Nationalist Party says it favors retaining the queen as the head of state.