Scotland must move on from its failed bid for independence, British Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday, using the first anniversary of a historic referendum to rule out holding another vote on the issue.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) has seen a surge in support since Scots voted 55-45 percent to reject independence in September last year, winning 56 of Scotland’s 59 seats in the Westminster parliament at May’s election.
Last week, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said the party would include triggers for a second referendum in its manifesto for Scottish elections in May next year.
“We all agreed, as do the Scottish public, that the independence referendum should be a ‘once in a generation’ or a ‘once in a lifetime’ event,” Cameron said in remarks released by his office.
“So now it is time to move on. Some may want to obsess about separation, but I am focused on delivering devolution,” Cameron said.
Sturgeon has previously warned that if Scotland were taken out of the EU against its will in a referendum on British membership due by the end of 2017, then it could seek a second independence referendum.
The SNP has said the government has failed to deliver on a promise of more administrative powers for Scotland, which was made in the final days of campaigning ahead of the vote on Sept. 18 last year after opinion polls showed a surge in support for Scottish separatism.
The government will amend planned legislation on extra powers for Scotland to ensure the permanence of Scotland’s devolved parliament Holyrood, Cameron said.
“There is absolutely no doubt: Holyrood is here to stay,” Cameron said.
“We are delivering a new, accountable and permanent Scottish Parliament. Holyrood will be one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world,” Cameron said.
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Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia