Russell seeks free vote on independence referendum

Published on Sunday 1 March 2009 21:04

MIKE Russell, the minister charged with delivering an independence referendum, made his first attempt to secure a parliamentary majority for the plans yesterday by appealing for a free vote on the issue.

Mr Russell, who was given responsibility for the Scottish Government's flagship referendum plans alongside his culture brief in last month's reshuffle, said he believed the bill could be passed, but only if all MSPs were allowed to vote as they wished.

The Scottish Government intends to bring a bill paving the way for an independence referendum before the Scottish Parliament next year.

At the moment, the SNP only has the support of the Greens and independent MSP Margo MacDonald, giving it the votes of just 50 of the 129 MSPs. It will need another 15 to guarantee success.

Labour is opposed to a referendum – even though it flirted with the idea during Wendy Alexander's brief leadership last year – as are the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

But Mr Russell believes that some MSPs in those three parties might back the idea if they were given the chance to do so.

Mr Russell seized on remarks made by Liberal Democrat MSP John Farquhar Munro at the end of last week that he wanted the Scottish people to be given the democratic right to choose independence if they wanted.

The minister said: "It is quite clear that there are MSPs in other parties who want a referendum to take place.

"Tavish Scott (the Scottish Lib Dem leader], had previously indicated that he was 'not intuitively against' giving people that democratic choice.

"The vice-chairman of the Scottish Tories is on the record as saying that as many as five Conservative MSPs backed a referendum. And Labour's Holyrood group convenor, Duncan McNeil, last year pledged that they would 'not vote down any referendum bill that comes into the Parliament'."

Mr Russell added:

"There can be no doubt that a Holyrood majority exists for a referendum. And in these circumstances, instead of the London parties' whipping system standing in the way of that majority, a free vote would enable Scotland's democratic right to determine the nation's future to be respected."

But Michael McMahon, Scottish Labour's business manager, derided Mr Russell's call for a free vote on the issue.

He said: "This is another example of the SNP's lack of confidence in their flagship policy.

"They have never been able to obtain a majority for independence in any poll and now while everyone else in Scotland is concentrating on getting the country through the difficult economic times ahead, the nationalists are still fixated with their narrow separatist agenda.

"A vote on a referendum on independence is not a matter of conscience and is not one where Labour would support a free vote."

Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said: "The SNP needs to stop chuntering on about its obsession with independence and concentrate on dealing with Labour's recession."