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The power to legally authorise a second referendum lies at Westminster under Schedule 5 of the 1998 Scotland Act. In 2011, the SNP won a mandate for a referendum on independence, and argued that such a political mandate trumped the legal position of Westminster. The latter had to concede.
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Using the Parliament for the People - RISE for a second referendum
Nothing has changed. Westminster retains the legal authority to refuse a second referendum. Therefore, the independence movement must again wield the political power to force Westminster to surrender its legal authority to the Scottish Parliament. RISE can arm Scotland politically by securing that mandate, but two things are necessary in order to do so. First, using a legitimate democrat base upon which to assert the right of Scots to hold the second referendum. And second, to launch and sustain an independence campaign to increase support well beyond the 45 per cent gained in the September 2014 referendum.
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The latter is critical. In February 2014, support for independence was at 29 per cent. It took a real campaign, where people were asked to vote specifically for independence, to get support up from 29 per cent to 45 per cent. That is a lesson that must be learned.
enVir0nmentalism
So, how does RISE intend to secure that second referendum? RISE MSPs must get into the Scottish Parliament, and they must set before that Parliament an instrument that will assert the right of the people in Scotland to determine when, and how, the people of Scotland exercise self-determination. As noted, the Scottish Parliament has no legal authority in the matter of the constitution. That does not mean it is powerless. Holyrood is the pre-eminent democratic forum of the people in Scotland. That
gives it much wider political power than the constraints laid down by the Scotland Acts. It can act so that Scotland’s political power again trumps Westminster legality. When elected, RISE MSPs will table the following resolution:
RISE: SCOTLAND’S LEFT ALLIANCE FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES CONTACT JONATHON ON 07983 537187
Bearing in mind its unique status having been elected by the people of Scotland, and recognising that its FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES prime responsibility is to respond to circumstances that CONTACT JAMIE MAXWELL effect the economic and social well-being of the nation ON 07891 907989 it represents, the Scottish Parliament resolves to assert its right to a mandate to call for and achieve a second OR EMAIL referendum on independence, at the time of its choosing, PRESS@RISE.SCOT during the lifetime of this Parliament. We require a peoples mandate, in this election, to ensure that the Tory government are kept under pressure. With the RISE resolution tabled and voted upon in the Scottish Parliament, Scotland will create a new political reality to challenge and overcome any legal impediment in the mind of Westminster. The RISE resolution does not argue for an immediate referendum after the May election. RISE recognises the necessity of a renewed Yes movement starting a new independence campaign, the purpose of which is to build a solid majority for independence. Then and only then do we exercise the mandate contained within the resolution. In the years of austerity we face ahead, we need a peoples mandate for an independence referendum to re-build the Yes movement and intensify the pressure on Westminster.