Scottish independence referendum

Scotland votes on May 6 to elect the national parliament with the ruling party seeking a green light for a fresh referendum on independence from the United Kingdom.

The election for the 129 members of the Scottish parliament (MSPs) to serve for the next five years has reignited the debate on whether the country of 5.5 million would be better off on its own.

The pandemic has seeded the idea of a prime minister "who speaks for England alone" as relations between the four nations of the UK deteriorate amid "deep-rooted complacency", a senior former civil servant has warned.

Scotland will become an independent country and then will restore its membership of the European Union. Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said in a special speech to the European Parliament. She was adamant that the Scottish Government will find a way to hold a new independence referendum.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sent a letter to Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon rejecting her request for a referendum on Scotland's independence, Reuters reported.

Such a referendum cannot be produced without the consent of the British Government.

Referendums are beginning to become a mechanism for governments to try solving controversial issues in societies. It is difficult to suggest, however, that they are effectively resolving differences of opinion. They often end up with very close results, such as "50 plus versus 50 minus" and create further polarization in the societies they are held.

Maybe they reach sexual maturity very young in Scotland. What else could explain the fact that they are going to have another referendum on Scottish independence only three years after the last one?

The threat of a new Scottish independence referendum is creating unnecessary uncertainty and division, a British government spokesman said on Feb. 27, reiterating British Prime Minister Theresa May's view that there was no need for another vote on the issue.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has set October 25 as the date for both local elections and a referendum on remote electronic voting.

Greeks are preparing for a referendum on July 5 that will see the debt-ridden country either accept or reject punishing austerity measures imposed by international creditors amid a serious cash crisis, street protests and increasing threats from global institutions. 

British would face a "clamour" for a new Scottish independence referendum if it votes to leave the EU, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned June 2.