Nigel Farage brutally mocked the Scottish Alba Party over their desire for another referendum on Scottish Independence. Speaking to a founding member of the party, the commentator joked: “you can’t have a referendum every Thursday!”
The pro-independence political party was created by former First Minister Alex Salmond following his departure from the SNP.
Responding to Mr Farage, Alba Party member Charlie Abel argued the Brexit vote had changed the political landscape.
Mr Farage, after saying he “respected” Mr Abel for his pro-independence stance, pointed out there had been a “once in a lifetime” referendum on the matter in 2014.
He then suggested the SNP and the Alba Party do not respect the results of both the 2014 independence referendum, as well as the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Mr Abel responded: “Remember, the Scottish people instructed a mandate in 2016 to the SNP government that if there was a material change in circumstances, such as being taken out of the EU against our will, which happened, that we would have another referendum.”
But Mr Farage suggested he was trying to “have it both ways” given that Scotland had already elected to stay within the UK before the nationwide vote on EU membership.
When Mr Abel asked the media personality whether he believed in the right to self-determination, Mr Farage pointed out he himself had campaigned for the UK to leave the EU for 30 years, and understood “the emotions behind it.”
But, he added: “Of course I get it – but you can’t have a referendum every Thursday!”
Mr Abel, who is the Alba Party’s candidate for Dyce Bucksburn and Danestone, said: “People can have referendums when the people want to have referendums.
“If the people ask for a referendum and Westminster says no, or the Supreme Court says no as it did in December, then we have a problem don’t we?”
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