[LINK] "Salmond hails 'historic' victory as SNP secures Holyrood's first ever majority"

[rfmcdonald]

I feel somewhat sorry for my British readers and acquaintances, since the Scottish National Party's majority government has promised a referendum on independence. Judging by Québec's various referendums and their effect on Québec and Canada as a whole, this will not be fun for anyone.

The Scottish National party has won a majority in the Holyrood elections – a dramatic result that will allow its leader, Alex Salmond, to hold a historic referendum on independence for Scotland.

After a series of astonishing victories over Labour and a collapse in the Liberal Democrat vote, the SNP leader saw a landslide for his party take it beyond the 65-seat mark. Holyrood has 129 seats.

After a night of defeats for some of Labour's best-known figures and a near defeat for the Scottish Labour leader, Iain Gray, Salmond declared he would stage an independence referendum within five years.

Jubilant at the "historic" scale of the SNP's victories, he added that he would first demand much greater economic freedom for the Scottish parliament, including the right to set its own corporation tax and increase borrowing powers to £5bn. Then he would hold his referendum.

"Just as the Scottish people have restored trust in us, we must trust the people as well," he declared. "Which is why, in this term of the parliament, we will bring forward a referendum and trust the people on Scotland's own constitutional future."

David Cameron congratulated Salmond, but warned him that he would oppose any move towards independence for Scotland.

"I passionately believe in our United Kingdom, and of course I congratulate Alex Salmond on his emphatic win," Cameron said.

"I will do everything, obviously, as British prime minister, to work with the first minister of Scotland as I will always do to treat the Scottish people and the Scottish government with the respect they deserve.

"But on the issue of the United Kingdom, if they want to hold a referendum I will campaign to keep our United Kingdom together with every single fibre I have."