Looks Like There’s Going To Be Another Scottish Referendum

The Brexit vote was a blow to many of us, not least for Scotland. Scottish people voted overwhelmingly to remain a member of the European Union by 62% to 38% (compared with the 52% to 48% vote for leave in the UK as a whole). Many political commentators believed the UK's shock vote to leave the EU would trigger a second Scottish independence referendum and that an independent Scotland would seek to remain a member of the EU. It seems they were right. First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), announced at her party's conference in Glasgow this morning that a consultation on plans for a second national vote will begin next week, the BBC reported. An Independence Referendum Bill, the first step in the process of holding a second vote, will be published next week, she said. Sturgeon said it was the country's right to determine its own future if its prospects as a member of the UK were ambiguous. She said: "I am determined that Scotland will have the ability to reconsider the question of independence and to do so before the UK leaves the EU - if that is necessary to protect our country's interests," reported the BBC. "So, I can confirm today that the Independence Referendum Bill will be published for consultation next week." The result of the first referendum, which happened on the 18th of September 2014, wasn't as close as had been predicted, with 55% of voters deciding against Scottish independence. Could Brexit trigger Scottish independence and the subsequent dismantling of the UK?