John Swinney responds to Kenny MacAskill's comments on an Independence party.

The Deputy First Minister appeared on Good Morning Scotland where he was asked to respond to MacAskill’s comments

John Swinney appeared on BBC’s GMS this morning where he faced questions about SNP colleague Kenny MacAskill’s comments on a future Independence referendum.

Mr MacAskill wrote in a comment piece for The Scotsman that the issue of how to obtain an independence referendum should be debated within the SNP as a matter of urgency and that there may be other routes to an independent Scotland, adding: “ if you rule out an alternative method then you leave Johnson with a veto and that’s simply unacceptable.

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“The best (plan B) I’ve seen so far is that unless Westminster is prepared to agree to a referendum, albeit contingent on Holyrood success, then the election should be treated as the deliberative vote.”

The Deputy First Minister appeared on Good Morning Scotland where he was asked about MacAskill’s commentsThe Deputy First Minister appeared on Good Morning Scotland where he was asked about MacAskill’s comments
The Deputy First Minister appeared on Good Morning Scotland where he was asked about MacAskill’s comments

This was followed by the suggestion that an Independence party run instead of the SNP on the Holyrood list.

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John Swinney countered this claim, saying that he believed that the SNP would be able to replicate their 2011 majority win in the Scottish Parliament, that would lead to another referendum for independence.

He reiterated that polls show Scottish support for the SNP and independence were high, and added that Mr MacAskill’s comments were : “odd at this time” and that he “couldn’t understand the logic.”

Mr Swinney also said that he had dedicated his “whole adult life” to Scottish independence, though at the moment, the government were focused on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

He added: “Everyone in the SNP should have confidence in the empathy...and the strength of the message” and concluded that there would “be time” for an electoral conversation, but that time was not now.

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