Scottish separatists renew efforts in wake of Brexit

The Scottish NationalParty is to send out thousands of its faithful to measure theappetite for independence, leader Nicola Sturgeon announced onFriday, raising the political stakes further as Britain decideshow it will leave the European Union.

The first minister of the devolved Scottish government saidBritain's June vote to leave the EU, dragging Scotland with it,had shifted the debate dramatically just two years after Scotsvoted by 10 percentage points to reject independence.

"Do we control our own destiny as a country or will wealways be at the mercy of decisions taken elsewhere?" Sturgeonasked her Scottish National Party (SNP) lawmakers in Stirling,the site of a historic Scots battle over the English in 1297.

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The SNP, funding the entire project itself, aims to have atleast two million nuanced responses from Scotland's 5.3 millionpopulation by Nov.30, Scotland's national day via a surveyand doorstep interviews.

The U.K. that existed before June 23 has fundamentally changed. SNP LeaderNicola Sturgeon

Armed with that information and a better idea of what Brexitmeans, it can better decide whether and how to call anotherreferendum raising the stakes further for British PrimeMinister Theresa May as she grapples with the thorny EU exit.

Scotland voted 62 per cent to 38 to remain in the EU in theJune 23 Brexit referendum, putting it at odds with Britain as awhole which voted to leave. The SNP says EU membership was a keyfactor in Scottish voters' decision in 2014 to remain part ofBritain.

Business leaders, in a letter to The Scotsman newspaper,called on Sturgeon to "think again."saying a new independencecampaign would bring further uncertainty "to Scotland's futureat a time when small and large businesses are looking forstability from all layers of government."

'Cloud of uncertainty'

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson accused Sturgeonof using the EU referendum to create yet more division.

"Re-heating the referendum debate will only add a furthercloud of uncertainty over Scotland's future, just at the momentwhen we need a government dedicated to security and stability."

But Sturgeon took the Conservatives to task for"accidentally" taking the country out of the EU, and saidstaying in the single market was a red line for Scotland.

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"This summer we witnessed seismic changes which will have adeep impact on our ambition for this country," Sturgeon said."The U.K. that existed before June 23 has fundamentally changed,"she said.

She would negotiate "in good faith" with London to get thebest deal for Scotland and secession had to be an option too,she said.

"While I take nothing for granted, I suspect support forindependence will be even higher if it becomes clear that it isthe best or only way to protect our interests," she said.

Deficit hits9.5%

Some doubt Scotland would now opt for independence giventhat it rachets up economic uncertainty during an alreadyclouded outlook due to Brexit.

But in a nod to her critics, Sturgeon vowed not to skirt thedifficult economic questions and said a specially commissionedSNP group would consider an independence policy programaimedat expanding the economy, cutting fiscal deficit and deciding amonetary strategy.

Scotland's fiscal deficit hit 9.5 per cent of GDP in the yearto March, more than twice that of Britain as a whole, hinderedby a low oil price. That makes balancing the books tough withoutunpopular austerity measures which the SNP oppose.

The offer to keep the pound at the 2014 referendum and adependence on oil as an asset were widely seen as weak points inthe independence argument last time.

The party will have a deep trove of information on which tobase its next steps by the time the shape of the Brexitnegotiations in London and Brussels become clearer.

A YouGov poll published a week after the Brexit vote howevershowed most Scots still wanted to remain a part of Britain, by53 to 47 per cent. A YouGov poll in the Times newspaper on Fridayput support for remaining at 54 per cent to 46 per cent.

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