SCOTS can play a leading role in achieving a new referendum on the EU, according to the new head of the group set up to campaign for a UK-wide poll with an option to remain in the bloc.
The remarks from Kerry Buist, director of Scotland for a People’s Vote, came as the group announced it is preparing to step up its activity and organisation in the New Year, just months after its launch in November.
Buist – who is based in Aberdeen and has previously worked in campaigning roles with the Tory Party – was named as the group’s new director after working as a campaign manager for the People’s Vote.
She attended the Women’s Campaign School at Yale Law School in the United States in June 2015 and is a guest lecturer in political communication at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
Scotland for a People’s Vote is planning a national campaign action day on Saturday across Scotland – days before Theresa May’s meaningful vote on her deal in the House of Commons – which will include leafleting and street stalls.
The European Movement in Scotland will hold a rally in Edinburgh near the end of the month to promote the case for a People’s Vote.
Scotland for a People’s Vote said recent polling had indicated that two-thirds of people in Scotland wanted such a vote, with 70% of them indicating that they would vote to remain a part of the European Union.
It said a People’s Vote has already received been supported by parties and parliamentarians representing around 70% of Scottish MPs – including the SNP, LibDems and some Labour MPs – and had been endorsed by the Scottish Parliament and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
Buist said: “Scotland can lead the way in achieving a People’s Vote, which is why we are stepping up activity and organisation in the New Year.
“We are a campaign for people of all parties and no party, and strong majorities exist in Scotland both for a People’s Vote and to stay in the EU.
“We need to reinforce the strength of the campaign in Scotland, and replicate it elsewhere in the UK.”
Mark Lazarowicz, who is chair of the European Movement in Scotland, and a former Labour MP, said: “A People’s Vote has already attracted the support of parties and parliamentarians representing some 70% of Scottish MPs, which shows how strong the European ideal is in Scotland.”
Angus Robertson, the leader of the SNP Westminster group, added: “Scotland voted to stay in the EU much more decisively than the UK as a whole voted Leave.
“Being in Europe is good for Scotland, and a People’s Vote is a democratic opportunity for Scotland’s wishes to be respected.”
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