Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland signed an MOU on Monday calling on the UK government to prepare for constitutional change because “Westminster’s time is coming to an end.”
The three countries’ first ministers signed the MOU in Cardiff, Wales’ capital, where they met to discuss the possibility of leaving the United Kingdom.
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PREMIUM TIMES previously reported plans for the meeting, which is expected to kick-start the Kingdom’s breakup.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney, Wales’ First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, and Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill argued that their countries have the right to determine their own future.
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The three ministers are all nationalists, pro-independence leaders. This is the first time since the demand for devolution began that all three nations have had nationalist first ministers at the same time.
The MOU said that the leadership of the three countries by pro-independence ministers signals growing momentum behind each state’s independence movement.
“We believe that constitutional change is coming,” the MOU read.
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“We believe the future of our nations belongs to the European Union. We want to work together to rebuild and strengthen those European relationships, creating greater opportunities for trade, investment, culture and cooperation.
“Our nations have the right to self-determination. No Westminster government has the right to block democracy or undermine the principle that our people will decide their own future.
“We recognise that our parties have different constitutional positions and that each nation will determine the future in its own way and in its own time,” it also read.
Wale’s Ap Iorwerth attributed the call for devolution to the growing recognition that “Westminster is not working.”
“Power genuinely needs to be brought closer to people and communities. Wales should have the power, the resources, the fair treatment we need as a nation to build the future our people deserve,” he said.
Similarly, Scotland leader John Swinney described the meeting in Cardiff as a “pivotal moment in the constitutional journey of the United Kingdom.”
“That principle of self-determination is an inalienable right,” he said.
Mr Swinney also referred to Andy Burnham as the “last prime minister of the United Kingdom”.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
London is the capital city and is located in England. These countries have been politically united for over a century. England and Scotland formally united in 1707 to create Great Britain.
Last week, UK PM Andy Burnham said he would authorise another Scottish referendum on the matter if there’s a popular demand for one.
A previous referendum on the separation or constitutional status of the constituent countries was conducted in 2014. Voters rejected independence, with 55 per cent voting to remain part of the UK and 45 per cent voting to leave.
Meanwhile, the 2016 Brexit vote intensified the debate, particularly in Scotland, where a majority voted to remain in the EU.
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