Scotland debating second UK independence bid

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, opened debate on Tuesday, March 21, in the Scottish Parliament over whether Scotland should seek its independence from the United Kingdom.
The U.K. plans to leave the EU via Brexit, which process should start on March 29 and take two years.
Sturgeon pointed out that most Scots voted to stay in the EU, and said she feared leaving the EU would be “harder and harsher” on Scotland.
Sturgeon noted that she had proposed that Brexit go through only if all four UK nations: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, and Wales—agreed on a single course of action. England ignored this and other Scottish proposals designed to protect Scotland in case of Brexit.
“It’s important to note that had any one of these proposals been accepted by the U.K. government, we would not be having this debate today,” Sturgeon told parliament.
Sturgeon closed by saying, “We now face the prospect of the U.K. government using Brexit to reserve for itself powers in areas that are currently devolved to this Parliament.”
Scotland and Northern Ireland voted against Brexit, but lost out to pro-Brexit voters in England and Wales.

(Reuters)