On the second day of the Scottish National Party’s conference in Aberdeen, the party struck an upbeat note on the economic justification for independence. Scotland’s Finance Secretary, Derek Mackay, told the conference attendees that the country can “more than afford” to be independent.
Mackay, who is a senior SNP politician and member of the Scottish Parliament for the Renfrewshire North and West constituency, told delegates that “convincing” people they will prosper after independence is “key” to winning the argument.
And in a thinly-veiled reference to Brexit, Mackay said that staying in the UK leaves Scotland “subject to the whim of Westminster turmoil”.
Striking a confident pose, Mackay proclaimed that the “Unionist” cause in Scotland has been “completely demolished over the last few years”.
“Scotland cannot afford the union, but it can more than afford to be independent”, Mackay said in conclusion.
The SNP conference in Aberdeen started on Sunday with a major speech by Ian Blackford, the party’s leader in the House of Commons.
Blackford devoted most of his speech to attacking SNP dissidents, and elements in the wider Scottish independence movement, who are critical of party leader, Nicola Sturgeon’s, cautious approach to gaining independence.
Blackford told delegates that independence can only be delivered by a “legal referendum accepted and recognized by our European and international partners”.
And in a sharp rebuke to dissident nationalists and their insistence on a so-called “Plan B”, he said: “The time to talk of a Plan B is not when Plan A has momentum”.
The SNP conference is taking place against a backdrop of rising popular support for Scottish independence.
The latest opinion poll shows 50 percent support for independence.
The PanelBase survey for The Sunday Times Scotland indicates that given a choice between a no-deal Brexit and an independence Scotland, there is a 54-46 lead for independence.
The latest poll is based on a sample size of 1,003 voters and was conducted between October 09 and October 11, 2019