Analysis: Alba says the term just means it wants to ‘maximise the vote’, but some experts say it could confuse voters
As she launched her party’s manifesto on Thursday morning, Nicola Sturgeon repeatedly mentioned her aspiration for a “simple majority” of SNP members to be returned in May’s Holyrood election – this is the mandate she needs to ask Boris Johnson for the legal powers to hold a second independence referendum.
But the specific phrasing – “simple majority” – was notable since another notion was introduced to the Holyrood election campaign three weeks ago by the former first minister Alex Salmond. Launching his new political party, Alba, he claimed he could help secure a “supermajority” for independence in the next Scottish parliament, which would significantly weaken Westminster’s opposition to a second independence referendum.
