The Scottish National Party should consider a “more evolutionary” constitutional change as an alternative to “de facto” independence referendum proposed by Nicola Sturgeon, a member of the outgoing government, the first minister has said.
The call by Ben Macpherson, the minister for social security and local government, highlighted the growing debate within the SNP over its future strategy following Sturgeon’s shock resignation announcement on Wednesday.
The SNP national executive announced on Thursday that members will vote to elect Sturgeon’s successor as party leader and first minister between March 13 and March 27. It also decided to postpone a party conference scheduled for next month that was meant to set a strategy to end it. Scotland’s three-century-old union with England.
Sturgeon called for the next UK general election to be used as a “de facto” referendum on Scottish independence, after the UK government refused to allow a rerun of the 2014 vote in which Scotland supported remaining in the union by 55 percent to 45 percent.
In the first public question of Sturgeon’s plan from members of her administration, Macpherson told the Financial Times that other approaches should be considered.
“The question for the SNP now is whether we continue to seek progress through short-term events like a de facto referendum vote, or pivot to a more evolutionary process to deliver further constitutional change, work with others to build consensus and move it forward,” he said. .
Macpherson’s call is likely to upset more radical SNP members who have grown impatient with what they see as Sturgeon’s cautious approach and strong commitment to a legitimate and consensual independence process.
However, it will be welcomed by party colleagues who believe that a de facto referendum will not produce real progress to end the unions, as Westminster will not be able to accept a majority vote for pro-independence parties as a mandate for secession.
Stewart McDonald, an SNP member of the UK parliament, published a newspaper last week arguing that a de facto referendum would be ineffective and called on the party to focus instead on building support for independence.
Opinion polls show there is little support in Scotland for using the election as a proxy for constitutional change, which the SNP calls a “plebiscite election”. Many party members are also skeptical.
The SNP leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, called on Thursday for next month’s strategy conference to be postponed. “The party needs to give the new leadership a chance to define its stance, its vision of how it sees us going into an independent future,” Flynn told Radio 4. Today program.
Sturgeon embraced the plebiscite in response to a ruling by the UK High Court last year that the Scottish parliament did not have the legal authority to hold an independence referendum without London’s approval.
Some of his MPs fear that turning the election into a single-issue vote could cost them seats. In her resignation speech, Sturgeon acknowledged her disagreement, saying she wanted to “free” the party to make its own decisions rather than choose a preferred position.
Flynn, who is not standing to replace Sturgeon, said he supported her position on a de facto referendum as a way to break the stalemate after the British government had “defied democracy” by rejecting a second plebiscite.
Sturgeon has also been privately criticized by some colleagues for failing to deliver a significant boost to support for independence, with opinion polls consistently showing the country to be almost flat.
Some pro-union parties have hailed the arrival of Sturgeon, who her opponents see as one of the most effective politicians of her generation, as a major blow to independence.
But while Sturgeon has no clear successor, Michael Russell, the SNP president, said the party’s first contested leadership election since 2004 would be good and a wider campaign for independence.
“Instead of undermining the cause, I think this is an opportunity to renew and revitalize the cause,” said Russell, a former cabinet secretary for the constitution who supported the plebiscite election plan.
“I’m very happy with Nicola and I think she’s done well, but the guard always changes and when the guard changes you move on,” he said.
Others in the party see Sturgeon’s exit as a chance to ease the controversy about the Scottish parliament’s attempt to pass a law that would make it easier to get official recognition for gender change.
Polls suggest the legislation is opposed by most Scots, while a significant minority of SNP members themselves agree with London’s decision to veto the Scottish bill.
“It is incumbent on the new leader to try and find a way that allows us to have a positive discussion as to why this rule is necessary, while always addressing the concerns that are known,” Flynn said.