The political upheaval in the United Kingdom is far from over. As my fellow Victory Girl Jennifer wrote about on Saturday, Scotland’s government is particularly hacked off about their EU ride coming to an end, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is talking about another Scottish independence referendum (remember, she only has that job because of the failure of the previous independence vote).

But a new vote on Scottish independence could take a while. So now First Minister Sturgeon is talking about blocking the Brexit.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would “consider” advising the Scottish Parliament to try to use its power to prevent Britain from actually leaving the EU. She said Scottish lawmakers might be able to derail the move by withholding “legislative consent” for a British exit, or Brexit.

“If the Scottish Parliament was judging this on the basis of what’s right for Scotland, then the option of saying ‘We’re not going to vote for something that is against Scotland’s interests,’ of course, that is on the table,” she said of the possibility of withholding consent.

Sturgeon said she believes Scotland’s approval is required for the move but conceded the British government would likely take “a very different view.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbroV15J0zw
Whether or not the Scottish Parliament actually has the power to stop the Brexit is one that doesn’t seem to be much of a question to legal experts.

Lots of nonsense on here about Holyrood having power to block or veto Brexit. It has no such power.

— Adam Tomkins MSP (@ProfTomkins) June 26, 2016

Holyrood has the power to show or to withhold its consent. But withholding consent is not the same as blocking.

— Adam Tomkins MSP (@ProfTomkins) June 26, 2016

It’s worth noting that Adam Tomkins revealed that he was on the “Remain” side of the vote, and is still saying that the Scottish Parliament won’t be able to stop the Brexit.

I suspect that a long and messy breakup between the UK and the EU is way off on the horizon (Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which starts the two-year exit process, has yet to be formally started – and won’t be while David Cameron is still prime minister), but that Scotland will do its best to throw a massive tantrum on its way out the door. Even though many have pointed out that the Brexit referendum was not technically legally binding, it would be political suicide to disregard it. Considering the vote totals in Scotland asking to “remain,” one wonders if First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is looking to her own political future in talking up Holyrood’s ability to actually block anything. After all, she’s clearly seen which way the winds are blowing – and she has her eye on another independence vote. Wait – a politician making impossible promises to try and further a different agenda??? The horror!!!