SIX months after the referendum on our future in the European Union, the Scottish Government has now set out its proposals to rise to the biggest political challenge facing Scotland today.

The SNP has always driven forward the best interests of Scotland.

And that’s what the Scottish Government’s proposals, announced at Bute House by the First Minster, are all about. This pragmatic compromise has set out a route map for minimising the potential damage to Scotland from a Brexit deal we did not vote for, and has been designed to be a statement of principle which bridges the gap between different viewpoints in Scotland while looking to build a consensus on where our best future interests lie.

This is now a clear opportunity for the moderate and progressive voices on the opposition benches of the Scottish Parliament to stand up and be counted. While some of the peripheral politicians in Scotland will fall into line with the dictat from Westminster come what may, I know that the majority understand their democratic obligations and will want to uphold the fundamental principles that we agree on, regardless of party politics.

This positive plan will, as the First Minister clearly set out yesterday, mitigate the serious social, cultural and economic risks of Brexit. This is not the best of all worlds for Scotland, but it is absolutely the least worst option in the context of the UK leaving the EU.

I think it’s a plan which will command the support of the majority of people in Scotland, and a majority of its elected representatives.

Because we know that the Brexit negotiations will be difficult and complex. But this is a reason for the UK Government in Whitehall to seek to work constructively, hand-in-hand with the Scottish Government in Edinburgh in order to develop a shared and agreed plan, rather than an excuse to dismiss Scotland’s view out of hand and enter negotiations with a divided approach.

But if there is political will, there will be a way. We must give this plan the best possible chance of success.

What gives me cause for hope today is that both at home and abroad, the political sands have begun to shift in our favour. While our national sovereignty still firmly sits with the people of Scotland, the environment in which decisions on Scotland’s future will be taken over the coming months is perceptibly and positively changing for the better.

For example, as we take time to tell our story to an audience across the continent, an increasing number of Scotland’s friends in Europe, both old and new, are standing up to be counted.

At every level of Europe, Scotland’s specific interests are being seen as now central to the wider European cause. From my colleagues on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, to Members of the European Parliament, all the way to senior officials in the Commission.

I’ve already experienced this myself through the warm welcome I’ve received on recent delegations to Brussels and Strasbourg from representatives from across the continent’s broad political spectrum. And we’ve all seen the openness and solidarity shown by senior European figures such as Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, and Guy Verhofstadt, the Chief Brexit negotiator for the European Parliament, towards Scotland and the SNP during recent discussions.

I believe that this goodwill can only be helpful to Scotland in securing a constructive deal as part of the UK’s wider negotiations over the next two years.

At the same time the UK Government’s hardline position on Brexit seems to be weakening. While only a few months ago the Trade Secretary Liam Fox was bullish about the prospects of the UK leaving the Customs Union, only last weekend he refused to rule this out during an interview on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme.

If this is the case, and the dawning reality of the devastating impact of a hard Brexit is beginning to take hold on all but the most hardened Eurosceptic fundamentalists in the Tory ranks, I believe that there may be a better chance than ever to come to a compromise on Scotland’s position.

Scotland will continue its constitutional and international journey in the months and years to come. Our infinite vision of Scotland is not of a small country on the periphery of the international community, but an outward looking, internationalist party that sees ourselves as an integral part of Europe’s family of nations.

In this context, the pragmatic proposals tabled by the First Minister yesterday clearly present the best deal for Scotland as it stands today. It’s now time for the UK Government to show its hand.