 01-10-2012, 04:07 PM | #1 |
| The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender:  Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts | Scottish first minister calls for independence referendum in 2014
BBC News - Salmond calls for independence referendum in 2014 Quote: Alex Salmond has said he wants to hold an independence referendum in Scotland in the autumn of 2014.
The Scottish first minister said this date would allow people to make a "considered" decision on the country's future within the United Kingdom.
The news came as the UK government said its Scottish counterpart could not legally go ahead without its authority.
It has said it wanted to work with the SNP-led administration amid a row over the timing and conditions for a poll.
Confirming the Scottish government's preferred date for a referendum, Mr Salmond - who wants Scotland to leave the UK - said holding a poll in 2014 would allow all the necessary legislation required to authorise it to be passed and for proper preparations to be made.
Mr Salmond added: "The date for the referendum has to be the autumn of 2014. That's because this is the biggest decision that Scotland has made for 300 years. If you are going to do things properly and have the debate in the way it must be had then that is the date that we are going to move towards."
The referendum had "to be made in Scotland" and be approved by the Scottish Parliament and he warned the UK government about "trying to pull the strings behind the scenes".
He said: "What Scotland objects to is all the strings they (the UK government) are trying to to attach. They are trying to run a referendum by proxy."
Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that uncertainty over Scotland's future is damaging its economy and all three Unionist parties - the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats - have called for any referendum vote to be held as soon as possible.
In a statement to MPs, Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said it was the government's "clear view" that the power to hold a referendum was "reserved" to Westminster under laws passed in 1998 paving the way for Scottish devolution and the Scottish government could not authorise a referendum on its own.
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