Once a year, the Queen comes to Scotland for a week. Holyrood Week means this week is a must on the Queen’s calendar and so Elizabeth II traveled to Edinburgh on Monday. The Queen resides there in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where she invited thousands of guests to the garden party on Wednesday afternoon. However, the Queen was not present this time, she was represented by Prince Charles. As with her platinum anniversary celebrations, the Queen only attended select appointments in Scotland this week, one of which was the reception of Nicola Sturgeon.
The Scottish Prime Minister brought several gifts with her, with one thing that struck the Queen in particular: “It has to be whiskey.” “That’s whisky,” Sturgeon agreed, before explaining the other gifts. The Queen was pleased: “Well, what a nice thing to have”, what a nice thing. It is not known whether the encounter continued to be so harmonious, because after the welcome with the whiskey, the cameras had to leave the room. To avoid misunderstandings, Sturgeon had made at least one thing clear before the meeting: If Scotland one day becomes independent, the Queen will remain head of state.
She joined the SNP to oppose Margaret Thatcher’s policies
The question of whether Scotland could break away from the United Kingdom has been the subject of intense debate again this week. The debate was once again sparked by Sturgeon. The 51-year-old is the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and has been head of government in Edinburgh since 2014. She is considered to be extremely determined, some say stubborn, in any case it should not have been a coincidence that she announced a new independence referendum on the day before the meeting with the Queen.
Being independent of the English has been Sturgeon’s concern since she joined the SNP at the age of 16. She once became a member to stop Margaret Thatcher’s conservative politics, she once said. Sturgeon, who is married to an SNPer, describes herself as a feminist and pacifist. Above all, she is a proud Scot who wants to finally realize her dream of independence. On October 19, 2023, their compatriots are supposed to vote for a second time.
For her, Brexit was the turning point in her relationship with England
So the question is: Will Scexit come after Brexit? Sturgeon would love nothing more than that. She remembers how it was in 2014, at the first referendum. 55 percent voted to remain part of the UK. For Sturgeon, that was a slap in the face. Little did she know then that it would hurt again two years later. In 2016, the UK majority voted to leave the EU. For Sturgeon, this was the turning point in relations between England and Scotland. The two countries have been united since the Act of Union in 1707. From Sturgeon’s point of view, however, Brexit changed the basis of the business. In the end, the Scots voted 62 percent in the referendum for Great Britain to remain in the EU.
Since then, the number of supporters of Scottish independence has first risen, then fallen again. Currently, 45 percent would vote in favor, 46 percent against. There are many undecided, the approval was sometimes higher. Sturgeon doesn’t like hearing that, but it’s clear to her that as long as Boris Johnson, who is unpopular in Scotland, is British Prime Minister, the chances are not bad. The problem, however, is that she needs the approval of the British government for a referendum, which Johnson of course refuses. It looks like the UK Supreme Court will rule on the legality of Sturgeon’s manoeuvre. In any case, giving up is not an option for her. And with all the struggle for independence from the kingdom, even for Sturgeon: God Save the Queen.