“World watching on in disbelief at UK's anti democratic stance to self determination” - Alba host round table of international press

DISBELIEF in the UK Government’s stance at denying the democratic mandate of the Scottish Government to hold an independence referendum has attracted journalists around the world to the issue.

Alba Party leader Alex Salmond led a round table discussion today with members of the international press community in central London.

The Former First Minister told those in attendance, at the event organised by the Foreign Press Association, that support was up for independence as an unintended consequence of the UK Supreme Court Decision against the Scottish Parliament’s provenance to hold a referendum on independence.

Salmond set out to those gathered at the Royal Overseas League that the independence movement was standing still for the first time in twenty-five years in the aftermath of the UK Supreme Courts decision something he said allowed “ the ridiculous situation that Westminster can hide behind a London court to deny the mandate of the Scottish people to have a referendum on their own future.”

Commenting to those in attendance Alba Party Leader Alex Salmond said:

“The UK Supreme Court is a very political court. It is under Lord Reid proving it won’t be a problem for the Conservative Government and therefore won’t be abolished to fulfil Dominic Cummings’ threat of ‘sorting out the judges’. The Supreme Court’s position that Westminster is sovereign above all else, including the people, is a dangerous doctrine not just to the independence movement but also to civic society, trade unions and others. I do not think the people of England have really caught up with what is happening.

“On the question of should Scotland be an independent country, the answer to that would be over 50%, and growing in favour of an independence majority.

“However, if you ask the people of Scotland ‘is Scotland a nation?…does Scotland have the right to self-determination? it would be 9/10. So in the Supreme Courts overreach we’ve seen an early boost for Scottish independence and the potential now to see that support rise sharply."

Alba Party Westminster Leader Neale Hanvey MP said:

“The Supreme Court were asked to settle a domestic law question and they decided to stretch that into international law in reducing Scotland’s right to self determination. Scots have the right to cultural, social and economic self determination and nobody can determine otherwise.

“It is bitterly disappointing that only one SNP member of parliament has signed up to Alba’s early day motion that asserts Scotland’s right to self determination. I would ask them, again today, to stand with us on this issue and sign the St Andrew Day declaration.”

Alba Party Chair Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh said:

“Alba Party are hosting an all party and no party assembly on Saturday on independence. We have already had to move to a bigger venue because of the demand of the independence movement to come together to discuss a way forward for independence.”

Many questions were fielded by international journalists including in regards to Gordon Brown’s latest intervention regarding the constitution and what difference self determination would make for Scotland."

Responding Alex Salmond added:

“Gordon Brown was the main architect of the Vow which influenced the result of the 2014 referendum. Keir Starmer and Gordon are both very cautious politicians and they’re more likely to produce a mouse than anything bold or radical for Scotland.

“If Scotland had been determining her own future for the past decades then we would not have participated in the illegal war of Iraq. We also wouldn’t have been dragged out of the EU against the will of the people of Scotland. Alba believe that with membership of EFTA Scotland good enjoy the benefits of market access, which Brexit has deprived us, within a matter of three months.”

Notes:

Link to Neale Hanvey MPs Early Day Motion on Self Determination which was snubbed by the SNP as referenced above:

https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/60346/st-andrews-day-declaration