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A30 world news
Dialuna 10 Mei 2021

Sturgeon: Scotland independence vote matter of when, not if

intention to ensure that authority whether or not Gove argued that the SNP's
the people of Scotland can to permit another referen- failure to secure a majority in
choose our own future when dum on Scotland gaining the Scottish Parliament was
the crisis is over, and made independence. He wrote in in marked contrast to the
clear that the question of a Saturday's Daily Telegraph party's heights of power in
referendum is now a matter that another referendum on 2011, when it won a 69-seat
of when — not if," her office Scotland would be "irrespon- majority.
said. sible and reckless" as Britain
emerges from the pandemic. "It is not the case now — as
Earlier, she said she wouldn't He has consistently argued we see — that the people of
rule out legislation paving the that the issue was settled in a Scotland are agitating for
way for a vote at the start of 2014 referendum where 55% a referendum," he told the
next year. of Scottish voters favored re- BBC.
maining part of the U.K.
Final results of Thursday's The Scotland results have
local elections showed that But proponents of another been the main focus of
the SNP won 64 of the 129 vote say the situation has Thursday's local elections
seats in the Edinburgh-based changed fundamentally be- across Britain. In Wales, the
Scottish Parliament. Al- cause of the U.K's Brexit opposition Labour Party did
(AP) — Scotland's leader ments in Scotland, Wales and though it fell one seat short divorce from the European better than expected, extend-
told British Prime Minis- Northern Ireland should co- of securing an overall major- Union. They charge that ing its 22 years at the helm of
ter Boris Johnson Sunday operate on plans to recover ity, the parliament still had a Scotland was taken out of the Welsh government de-
that a second Scottish in- from the coronavirus pan- pro-independence majority the EU against its will. In the spite falling one seat short of
dependence referendum demic. with the help of eight mem- 2016 Brexit referendum, 52% a majority.
is "a matter of when, not bers of the Scottish Greens. of U.K. voters backed leav-
if," after her party won its But Nicola Sturgeon, Scot- ing the EU, but 62% of Scots Labour's support also held up
fourth straight parliamen- land's first minister and lead- Sturgeon said the election re- voted to remain. in some big cities. In London,
tary election. er of the Scottish National sults proved that a second in- When asked about the pros- Mayor Sadiq Khan handily
Party, told Johnson in a call dependence vote for Scotland pect of Johnson agreeing to a won a second term. Other
Johnson has invited the lead- that while her immediate fo- was "the will of the country" second Scottish referendum, winning Labour mayoral
ers of the U.K.'s devolved cus was on steering Scotland and that any London politi- Cabinet Office minister Mi- candidates included Steve
nations for crisis talks on the to recovery, a new referen- cian who stood in the way chael Gove said Sunday "it's Rotherham in the Liverpool
union after the regional elec- dum on Scotland's breakup would be "picking a fight not an issue for the moment" City Region, Andy Burn-
tion results rolled in, saying from the rest of the U.K. is with the democratic wishes and stressed that the national ham in Greater Manchester
the U.K. was "best served inevitable. of the Scottish people." priority is on recovering from and Dan Norris in the West
when we work together" and the coronavirus pandemic. of England region, which in-
that the devolved govern- Sturgeon reiterated "her Johnson has the ultimate cludes Bristol.

EU launches conference to debate its future with citizens

(AP) — French President acknowledged that "we've "young people in particular well as representatives from
Emmanuel Macron on seen that sometimes Europe to have their say" about Eu- all national parliaments, so- The conference is expected
Sunday expressed hope didn't go fast enough and rope's future, she said. cial partners, the civil society to reach conclusions to pro-
that Europe would redis- maybe didn't have enough and panels of citizens. vide guidance on the future
cover the path of "great ambition." A digital platform and series of Europe by spring 2022.
projects, great ambi- of conference-related events European Parliament Presi-
tions and great dreams" He called on Europeans to will enable people to share dent David Sassoli said "as Meanwhile, Macron hoped
as the European Union get inspired by the United their views on changes and we are about to rebuild our the European Parliament will
launched a wide consulta- States to rediscover ways to improvements they wish for economies and our societ- be able to hold its next ple-
tion process meant to de- "shape the future and move the EU. ies on new foundations ... it nary session in June in Stras-
sign the shape of the bloc's fast." is even more crucial and ur- bourg, its official seat. Euro-
future. The conference's plenary will gent to listen to our fellow pean lawmakers didn't return
The pandemic has shown be composed of representa- citizens, to feel their needs, to the French city since Feb-
Macron spoke as part of Eu- that the EU lacked the ef- tives from the European Par- their expectations in terms of ruary last year because of the
rope Day, the inaugural event fective tools to react quickly liament, member states, the assistance, jobs, dignity, secu- virus crisis.
of the Conference on the Fu- to a continent-wide emer- European Commission, as rity and prosperity."
ture of Europe in the French gency. The bloc was notably
city of Strasbourg. criticized at the beginning
of the year for its vaccina-
"What Europe do we want tion campaign starting slower
in 10 years, 15 years from compared to the U.S. and the
now?," Macron asked in his United Kingdom.
opening speech, calling on
people to debate all major is- "The pandemic has been
sues, from the bloc's borders traumatic ... and like all trau-
to new institutions, cultural ma we need to find a way
projects, education and the of talk about it if we want
fight against climate change. to move beyond it," Euro-
pean Commission President
The process also aims at Ursula von der Leyen said.
bringing the EU's complex "And there's no better way to
decision-making closer to its do that than by offering pro-
450 million citizens. spective, hope and the ability
to change things for the bet-
While advocating for Eu- ter."
rope's democratic model,
based on solidarity, Macron The process is meant to allow