The nationalists’ neverendum is fuelled by uncertainty about when a future referendum might take place and what it would look like. Determining these matters falls under the powers reserved to the UK Government. It is a central part of our manifesto that we ask the UK Government to remove this corrosive uncertainty with a Canada-style Clarity Act, but we don’t have to wait to be elected to ask. We will be asking all candidates standing for unionist parties to sign our Unity Pledge. You can do the same by following the change.org link.
The Unity Pledge
Proposed by Jamie Blackett & George Galloway
We the undersigned call upon the Government of the UK to make the Unity Pledge as follows: to refuse any new Scottish independence referendum within a generation of the last one and to pass a Canada-style Clarity Act as soon as possible, which sets out the necessarily onerous conditions which MUST attach to any secession from any country. (See Footnotes).
Footnotes:
- No referendum may be granted unless the number of votes cast for separatist parties is equal to fifty percent plus one of the electorate.
- The franchise includes all Scots resident in the United Kingdom so that family members can have their say.
- The wording of the referendum is Leave/Remain more accurately reflecting the seriousness of separation, and removing the bias of Yes/No.
- The threshold and turnout is set so that Scots cannot be forced to give up their British passports unless a majority of the electorate votes for it, rather than the majority of votes cast on the day.
- Questions over the currency that an independent Scotland would use, the share of the UK’s national debt, the border and the terms of any trade agreements with the rest of the United Kingdom have been settled beforehand so that Scots know exactly what the Scexit conditions would be.
- In the event of a vote for separation, the democratic deficit inherent in the geographical distribution of Leave/Remain voters is addressed by a second ‘People’s Vote’ allowing the Scottish regions – many of them former kingdoms and principalities – to ratify the decision, so that they can opt as regions either to leave with an independent Scotland or to remain as devolved administrations within the United Kingdom, and avoid being dragged out of Great Britain against their democratic will.
- No Scexit referendum may be allowed within twenty five years of the previous one.
Please sign the petition at: https://www.change.org/p/uk-prime-minster-the-unity-pledge