Scottish independence: Yes chases votes from Poles
Germans, Poles and Czechs were among a crowd of 150 Scottish-based EU citizens who joined First Minister Alex Salmond outside St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh yesterday.
About 120,000 non-Scots EU citizens could play a pivotal role in the outcome of next week’s vote. Poles are the biggest group on the electoral roll, and there are about 13,000 German citizens eligible to vote.
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Hide AdMr Salmond said: “At a time when Scotland’s European future is being placed in jeopardy by a Westminster elite obsessed by UKIP, it is becoming ever clearer that Scotland’s European policy is best decided by people in Scotland.”
Among those who joined Mr Salmond yesterday was Ania Lewandowska of Polish for Yes.
“I see independence as the best option for any country but especially for Scotland, a country that is very proud of its achievements and more than capable of taking full responsibility for its future,” she said.
“We’ll all benefit from a strong and independent Scotland interacting with her neighbours and the rest of the world as an equal partner.
“This is our chance to act and minorities across Scotland to unite to help Scots achieve our common goal for the benefit of us all.”
The SNP government says that Scotland would be able to resolve its membership of the EU within 18 months and before independence is declared in March 2016. This was endorsed yesterday by former European Parliament president Pat Cox, but has previously been called into question by other experts.
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