Scotland’s Future Must Be a Decision for the People of Scotland

MSP Bill Walker has refuted comments by Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, who proposed that any decision on more powers for the Scottish Parliament should be for the entire UK electorate in 2015, rather than for the people of Scotland to decide in the 2014 referendum.

Mr Walker, SNP MSP for Dunfermline, where Mr Rennie served a term as an MP before loosing his seat in 2010, said:

“The Liberal Democrats want to deny the Scottish Parliament, elected by the people, the right to set the terms of a Scottish referendum. They also want to deny the people of Scotland a vote on more powers in the form of maximum devolution. Finally, they want this decision on ‘Devo-Max’ to be made by voters from across the whole of the UK, effectively drowning out Scotland’s voice.

“This doesn’t seem either very liberal or democratic to me. Apparently, they will stop at nothing to avoid asking what the people of Scotland want for their own country.

“The Lib Dem proposal is at odds with their own policy and, most importantly, with the Scottish Claim of Right which all Lib Dem MPs signed up to as recently as 1989.

“The Scottish people have sovereign right to determine the form of Government best suited to their needs, and the SNP will give them that opportunity with a referendum in autumn 2014.

“The Liberal Democrats should have the courage of their convictions and come up with proposals for maximum devolution that can be put to the people, alongside the choice of independence in the 2014 referendum.

“It strikes me as ironic that they propose giving the rest of the UK a vote on more powers for the Scottish Parliament, while denying the people of Scotland a specific vote on that option in the referendum itself.”