[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by MTVN

I still think though that the issue of a second referendum is not cleared up. Sturgeon keeps saying that its for the Scottish people to decide when a next referendum is, well how do they decide? Do they have a referendum on a referendum? It seems more likely that if the SNP win a clean sweep in Scotland this year, and if they also greatly improve on their seats in the Holyrood elections, then that will be taken as a mandate to argue for another vote. I can't see how there can be a better way of the Scottish people 'deciding' they want a second referendum than the majority of them voting for the Nats in consecutive elections. I'm not saying this to belittle the SNP because I actually think it would be fair for them to argue for another referendum given how Scottish politics seems to have developed in the last twelve months, I'm just genuinely curious about what Sturgeon means when she says that a referendum will be whenever the people decide in favour of one.

She will need to get a mandate from the Scottish people to ask for one and get the proposal through the Scottish parliament first again too.

The earliest she could try that,which may be unwise to, is in the Holyrood elections next year,she could put in the SNP manifesto for that election the desire to seek another referendum.
Were she then to get an overall majority in the Scottish parliament, she could then demand same from the UK govt; who again however would have to approve such a referendum.

She couldn't just demand one now without a further mandate from the Scottish electorate.
Which is why no referendum is mentioned in the current SNP manifesto for this UK general election.

I think she will get one eventually in the future, she is there as leader for the next 10 years at least I would say.
With a lot of uncertainty about now however, I cannot see her looking for a referendum until after the next UK general election.
I could see an independence proposal being in the SNP manifesto for Holyrood elections in 2021 but not next year 2016.