Any admiration for Ms Truss will also come to an abrupt stop at Carlisle if she seriously intends to move the electoral goal-posts – an affront to democracy and an affront to Scotland. In all of them, bar one, a majority of those voting was regarded as definitive. The exception was the 1979 Scottish referendum, when 40 per cent of the electorate was required for the Yes side to win. So, why and on what principle is Scotland different from Northern Ireland by having a 50 per cent threshold imposed by Liz Truss’s government? In every civilised country a major constitutional change, such as that proposed by the nationalists in Scotland, requires an at least two-thirds majority.

Source: The Herald September 07, 2022 00:36 UTC