Scotland's Sturgeon prepares for early UK election ahead of Brexit

 

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addresses the Scottish National Party (SNP) conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, June 9, 2018. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo

 

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has moved one of her key allies into a campaigning role because she thinks the United Kingdom could hold a national election just before it is due to leave the European Union.

 

In one of the most tumultuous periods in recent British political history, there have been four major elections in the past four years: the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, the 2015 UK election, the Brexit referendum of 2016 and the snap election called by Prime Minister Theresa May last year.

 

Sturgeon's pro-independence Scottish National Party says it must be prepared for every eventuality as May, who leads a deeply divided party and country, struggles to strike a Brexit deal with the EU before exiting the bloc on March 29, 2019.

 

In an attempt to prepare her party for a possible election, Sturgeon moved the economy minister in her devolved government, Keith Brown, to take over campaigning at the SNP, Sturgeon's education minister John Swinney told BBC radio.

 

The SNP is priming itself for "the possibility of an early election in the autumn for which the party has to be ready, and also to make sure the party is advancing the arguments around independence," Swinney said.

 

In the Brexit referendum, the United Kingdom voted 52-48 percent to leave the EU. England and Wales voted to exit while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay.

 

After a public argument earlier this month with May's government over how much say Scotland should have over the terms of the Brexit divorce, the SNP added more than 7,000 new members in just a few days.

 

(Reporting by Elisabeth O'Leary; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-28

vile women

Awful woman. God only knows how she got to where she is.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

After a public argument earlier this month with May's government over how much say Scotland should have over the terms of the Brexit divorce, the SNP added more than 7,000 new members in just a few days.

 

I think it was actually closer to 10,000 new members, making the SNP the 2nd largest party by membership in the UK.

 

A Panelbase survey last week showed that, after 11 years in government, the SNP enjoy's a 14 point lead over the 2nd place Tories for Holyrood and 11 points for Westminster.

2 hours ago, Lake Palmer said:

vile women

Which women? All of them? Surely some are acceptable to you?

10 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Awful woman. God only knows how she got to where she is.

By being competent, articulate, visionary and capable of demonstrating empathy. The truly remarkable thing is that, despite virtually every mainstream news outlet across the UK running a decidedly anti-SNP, anti-Sturgeon campaign for the past decade, the SNP still walks head and shoulders above the unionist parties.

34 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

I think it was actually closer to 10,000 new members, making the SNP the 2nd largest party by membership in the UK.

 

I wouldn't dwell on that fact for too long, Labour is the highest, I think I'll leave that there.

4 minutes ago, vogie said:

I wouldn't dwell on that fact for too long, Labour is the highest, I think I'll leave that there.

Of course, but the SNP has a pool of 6 million potential supporters, Labour has 62 million to draw from.

5 hours ago, Lake Palmer said:

vile women

 

2 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Awful woman. God only knows how she got to where she is.

The misogynists got out of the gate early on this thread.

 

Its almost a form of Asperger’s for these blokes. 

1 minute ago, samran said:

 

The misogynists got out of the gate early on this thread.

 

Its almost a form of Asperger’s for these blokes. 

The media has done a tremendous job in painting her as evil and anti-English; it is shocking that so many have been duped into believing this. Ask any of these people to explain why they feel this way and very little in the way of a rational explanation comes back.

2 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Awful woman. God only knows how she got to where she is.

Erm.... people voted for her!

 

Which kind of shades out your own personal views.

2 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

 

I think it was actually closer to 10,000 new members, making the SNP the 2nd largest party by membership in the UK.

 

A Panelbase survey last week showed that, after 11 years in government, the SNP enjoy's a 14 point lead over the 2nd place Tories for Holyrood and 11 points for Westminster.

 

As you are challenging Reuters statement on numbers, could you provide the source for your different ones please?

4 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

As you are challenging Reuters statement on numbers, could you provide the source for your different ones please?

 

Sturgeon tweeted on 15th June "Number of new @theSNP members over last 48 hours is now... 7,526."

 

Accoring to the Canary, this takes the SNP membership to around 125,700, larger than the Tories, who have 124,000 across the entire UK.

 

2 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

By being competent, articulate, visionary and capable of demonstrating empathy. The truly remarkable thing is that, despite virtually every mainstream news outlet across the UK running a decidedly anti-SNP, anti-Sturgeon campaign for the past decade, the SNP still walks head and shoulders above the unionist parties.

 

That's why they lost the referendum and their number of of seats in the Scottish parliament was reduced last time - head and shoulders above everyone else!

 

Sturgeon is a shameless liar, a proven liar, like a considerable number of politicians and is more interested in her career than anything else. Her vision is of her being a 'world leader' swanning off around the world pretending that she and Scotland have some great place in the world order. 

Scotland outside the UK would be a small insignificant country in the world order, albeit with a mouthy leader who has shown she hasn't a real clue how to tackle what would be a massive financial deficit; or if she has she's keeping it secret. She plays on anti English resentment and fuels the "we're entitled brigade" who somehow think the rest of the UK will be really generous and giving them big handouts to leave. She suffers from a common politicians ailment of craving the limelight to such an extent that she has to be as argumentative as possible and cause trouble to get attention. 

 

 

2 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

 

Sturgeon tweeted on 15th June "Number of new @theSNP members over last 48 hours is now... 7,526."

 

Accoring to the Canary, this takes the SNP membership to around 125,700, larger than the Tories, who have 124,000 across the entire UK.

 

 

So political party membership, of any party in the UK is a tiny fraction of the population.

 

Reuters say 7k, Sturgeon 7.526k but you said nearer 10k. Where did your figure come from then?

1 minute ago, Baerboxer said:

 

So political party membership, of any party in the UK is a tiny fraction of the population.

 

Reuters say 7k, Sturgeon 7.526k but you said nearer 10k. Where did your figure come from then?

I did read it somewhere but memory escapes me; possibly I was getting mixed up with this Sky news article:

SNP membership applications rise by 10,000% after MPs' mass walkout of Westminster

6 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

That's why they lost the referendum and their number of of seats in the Scottish parliament was reduced last time - head and shoulders above everyone else!

 

Sturgeon is a shameless liar, a proven liar, like a considerable number of politicians and is more interested in her career than anything else. Her vision is of her being a 'world leader' swanning off around the world pretending that she and Scotland have some great place in the world order. 

Scotland outside the UK would be a small insignificant country in the world order, albeit with a mouthy leader who has shown she hasn't a real clue how to tackle what would be a massive financial deficit; or if she has she's keeping it secret. She plays on anti English resentment and fuels the "we're entitled brigade" who somehow think the rest of the UK will be really generous and giving them big handouts to leave. She suffers from a common politicians ailment of craving the limelight to such an extent that she has to be as argumentative as possible and cause trouble to get attention. 

 

 

 

That is like a full house on a Unionist's bingo card - a fleck splattered diatribe of the same lies and unsubstantiated nonsense that has been flowing since long before indyref1.

You hit all the major targets there - we are too poor, too small, we are scroungers, we are anti-English. Don't worry, we won't burden you with our presence too much longer. You can enjoy the resurgence in respect and baubles that the rest of the world is undoubtedly going to lavish upon you in the post Brexit success that will be rUK.

Some troll and grammar posts removed also replies

This woman talks out of her backside no deal will be done until after we leave that is the words the EU are saying we here in the uk are getting really p!$$ed off with anti brexiteers, we've had the vote now the will of the majority will prevail roll on March 2019. Hopefully the exchange rate with the Thai baht will recover

4 minutes ago, madmin said:

This woman talks out of her backside no deal will be done until after we leave that is the words the EU are saying we here in the uk are getting really p!$$ed off with anti brexiteers, we've had the vote now the will of the majority will prevail roll on March 2019. Hopefully the exchange rate with the Thai baht will recover

Just who is getting 'p!$$ed off with anti brexiteers'? You seem to be forgetting that 37% ≠ 100%.

6 minutes ago, madmin said:

This woman talks out of her backside no deal will be done until after we leave that is the words the EU are saying we here in the uk are getting really p!$$ed off with anti brexiteers, we've had the vote now the will of the majority will prevail roll on March 2019. Hopefully the exchange rate with the Thai baht will recover

Yes I am sure you speak for yourself but certainly not for all Brexiteers "here in the UK".  In fact most of the Brexiteers I know here in the UK are extremely p!$$ed off with the absolute screw up May is making of Brexit.   She cannot deliver on what she promised (which was obvious from day one) and has been pushed up the creek with no paddle by her cabinet.  That is all of her cabinet from the sniping Johnson and Rees Mogg and other Brexiteers to the ardent remainers.

 

In fact my friend your "majority" are certainly not the majority any more.

A personal attack and a troll post removed

14 hours ago, Lake Palmer said:

vile women

What? All of them? Try Sweden!

9 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

That's why they lost the referendum and their number of of seats in the Scottish parliament was reduced last time - head and shoulders above everyone else!

 

Sturgeon is a shameless liar, a proven liar, like a considerable number of politicians and is more interested in her career than anything else. Her vision is of her being a 'world leader' swanning off around the world pretending that she and Scotland have some great place in the world order. 

Scotland outside the UK would be a small insignificant country in the world order, albeit with a mouthy leader who has shown she hasn't a real clue how to tackle what would be a massive financial deficit; or if she has she's keeping it secret. She plays on anti English resentment and fuels the "we're entitled brigade" who somehow think the rest of the UK will be really generous and giving them big handouts to leave. She suffers from a common politicians ailment of craving the limelight to such an extent that she has to be as argumentative as possible and cause trouble to get attention. 

 

 

I like her

9 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

I did read it somewhere but memory escapes me; possibly I was getting mixed up with this Sky news article:

SNP membership applications rise by 10,000% after MPs' mass walkout of Westminster

Aye! That was a Bannockburn moment right enough!

21 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

That's why they lost the referendum and their number of of seats in the Scottish parliament was reduced last time - head and shoulders above everyone else!

 

Neither you nor anyone else has any idea why the referendum result came out as it did.

The referendum was conducted on the back of Alex Salmond's 650 page white paper which was quite densely populated with what could only be described as delusional fantasy.

There are many that appear to be unable to differentiate between agreeing with independence and supporting Alex Salmond.

If Scotland had taken the same approach to the referendum white paper as the UK government did with brexit, then who knows what the outcome may have been.

Just now, sandyf said:

Neither you nor anyone else has any idea why the referendum result came out as it did.

The referendum was conducted on the back of Alex Salmond's 650 page white paper which was quite densely populated with what could only be described as delusional fantasy.

There are many that appear to be unable to differentiate between agreeing with independence and supporting Alex Salmond.

If Scotland had taken the same approach to the referendum white paper as the UK government did with brexit, then who knows what the outcome may have been.

 

Wrong. I have quite a good idea why the referendum result was as it was. More people who voted wanted to stay in the UK than those who though leaving was a good idea. Simple really.

 

Btw - the same clown instigated both referendums and neither were about giving the people choice.

4 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Neither you nor anyone else has any idea why the referendum result came out as it did.

How about keeping it simple - More wanted to stay than leave ?

 

5 minutes ago, sandyf said:

The referendum was conducted on the back of Alex Salmond's 650 page white paper which was quite densely populated with what could only be described as delusional fantasy.

Commonly known as bog paper ?

 

As for the article

 

Quote

Scotland's Sturgeon prepares for early UK election ahead of Brexit

What election ?

 

There might be a change of Tory Leadership, but it is highly unlikely that there will be another GE.

 

Great crystal balls Sturgeon has, or is she also suffering from delusion ?

4 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Wrong. I have quite a good idea why the referendum result was as it was. More people who voted wanted to stay in the UK than those who though leaving was a good idea. Simple really.

 

Btw - the same clown instigated both referendums and neither were about giving the people choice.

 

I think you have hit the nail on the head there - the No vote outnumbered the Yes vote, pure and simple. To be honest, the surprising thing for me is that the Yes vote got as much as 45%. After decades and decades of being told by the BBC and virtually all Scottish media and all Unionist party politicians the same lies that you spouted yesterday in post in post #14, namely:

 

- we are too wee

- we are too poor

- we are scroungers who cannot possibly survive without the benevolance of our English benefactors

- we are inherently bigoted

 

one might have thought that the Stockholm syndrome would have had a far tighter grip on us. Thankfully, more and more are coming to realise that there is nothing peculiarly weak in the Scottish constitution that means we are uniquely incapable of governing our own affairs, rather than having them administered by another country.

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Wrong. I have quite a good idea why the referendum result was as it was. More people who voted wanted to stay in the UK than those who though leaving was a good idea. Simple really.

 

Btw - the same clown instigated both referendums and neither were about giving the people choice.

Good Idea and knowing are two different things, there were many that supported independence but not on Alex Salmond's plan.

The UK is in a mess because people think referendum results are simple.