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France 24
France 24
World

Scottish election reignites independence movement (part 1)

TALKING EUROPE © FRANCE 24

It's a small nation of just five and a half million people, but Scotland and particularly its independence movement could be on the cusp of changing the map of both the UK and the EU for good. We bring you a special two-part debate on the issue of Scottish independence.

It's been almost seven years since Scottish voters rejected the idea of splitting from the rest of the UK, in a referendum.

But the issue is firmly back on the table since the Scottish National Party and its leader Nicola Sturgeon won the most seats in the devolved parliament in the May 6 election.

And looking further into a hypothetical future, there are many in Scotland, including and not least Nicola Sturgeon, who would want to re-join the European Union as an independent nation.

With the British prime minister the only person who can sanction a referendum – and Boris Johnson firmly opposed – a major clash could be on the cards.

In this special two-part debate, we hear arguments for and against independence: from voters and from our panel.

We're joined by pro-independence Member of Parliament (MP) Alyn Smith of the Scottish National Party, as well as Dean Lockhart, who's a pro-union Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Scottish Conservative Party.

>> Click here to watch part two of the show

Produced by Perrine Desplats, Isabelle Romero, Céline Schmitt and Mathilde Bénézet

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