Scotland's charities will fight for a fairer Scotland in forthcoming indyref battle
Scotland’s charities will make their voices heard in any potential new Scottish Independence Referendum.
After First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced she is formally requesting another poll on Scotland’s independence, the umbrella body for Scotland’s voluntary groups said it will make sure charities play a “significant” role in the debate.
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) spoke out after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she will next week request the Scottish Parliament ask Westminster for a Section 30 order to allow a new legally binding referendum to be held.
SCVO director of public affairs John Downie said: “We will work hard to make sure Scotland’s charities and voluntary organisations, and the people and communities they support, are heard prominently as the country moves toward a second independence referendum. Scotland’s third sector turns over £4.5 billion a year and employs 138,000 people in over 45,000 organisations.
“They want to see a fairer, more equal and more prosperous Scotland, so will have a significant part to play in shaping future debate.”
As soon as Sturgeon made her announcement, the first shots were fired in the Indyref2 battle.
Maggie Chapman, co-convenor of the pro-independence Scottish Greens, said: "The combination of the Brexit vote and Theresa May's belligerent stance against Scotland make an independence referendum inevitable. It is clear that case for the union from 2014 was a false prospectus – we are very clearly not better together. The UK is not OK.
“When the Westminster Government threaten to use Brexit to turn the UK into a tax haven, it shows how the prime minister is taking the country in the opposite direction to Scotland. Our vision of an outward-facing, inclusive country is totally at odds with the anti-foreigner approach the UK government is taking."
However, Scottish labour leader Kezia Dugdale countered: “Scotland is already divided enough. We do not want to be divided again, but that is exactly what another independence referendum would do.
“Two years ago, 85% of Scotland’s voters took part in the independence referendum and the result was a clear vote to remain in the UK.
“With our country facing all of the uncertainty around the Tories' reckless plans for a hard Brexit, the last thing we need is even more uncertainty and division.”
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