THE past 12 months have seen an almost unprecedented scale of change in politics and international affairs. Almost none of it, in my view, has been for the better.

The result of the EU referendum, the election of President Trump and the rise of the far-right in Europe and the US have turned conventional wisdom on its head, undermined international solidarity and attacked the civic institutions that have traditionally underpinned our democracies.

That’s why it’s so important that our response to these fundamental challenges is carefully considered and properly measured. This is a time to strengthen our resolve, not to attack the pillars that have borne the weight of liberal democracy for decades.

This week the Westminster Parliament has been considering how it responds to the greatest threats facing the UK today. We’ve been debating the Article 50 Bill, which will determine how we manage the process of leaving the EU that England and Wales voted for while respecting the views of Scotland and Northern Ireland, which did not. The result of this deliberation will play a central role in deciding the long-term future, indeed the long-term viability, of the UK.

I didn’t seek election to the Westminster Parliament in order to settle down and get comfortable within the UK system of democracy. But I know that if the SNP and the wider independence movement are to make progress towards our ultimate goal, we must be able to demonstrate that we’ve made every effort within the current system to protect the interests of Scotland and everyone who lives here. It simply wouldn’t be credible to be seen to call for a new referendum at the drop of a hat, whether or not we’ve exhausted all other options before us.

The SNP in government in Scotland have made significant and substantial compromises in setting out the possible options for Scotland to remain both in the single market and the UK. The differentiated deal set out in Scotland’s Place in Europe is credible and deliverable, a fact confirmed by the Secretary of State for Scotland during a TV interview last weekend.

All that’s lacking now is the political will to find a deal. If the SNP can try to meet the Tory government halfway, it should be reasonable to expect that they should keep their word and seek to find a solution that reflects the needs and wishes of everyone on these islands. This is ultimately in the best interests of those who want to preserve the Union.

This all makes what we’ve seen at Westminster over the past few days, where MPs have been considering the legislation to enable the government to invoke Article 50, so thoroughly mind-boggling. Just when parliament has an opportunity to use its position to bridge the gap that exists between these different positions and take a long-term view, it instead appears to have given up the ghost in achieving any constructive arrangement.

Take Monday’s debates on the significant amendments tabled by the SNP and others that would cement Scotland’s place in the Brexit negotiations, and ensure our voice is heard. While the SNP benches had a surfeit of MPs who attempted to speak on the issue, only a tiny number were called to make their case. Videos proliferated quickly on Facebook and Twitter of the sharp exchanges between Jo Cherry, Alex Salmond and the Deputy Speaker at the end of the debate late on Monday evening, which were a testament to the frustration and strength of feeling among my colleagues and I of our invidious position. Although SNP MPs had attended the debate in large numbers, determined to make the point that the Tories should keep their word and honour Scotland’s role in this process, MPs from the Westminster parties were almost invariably called to speak instead.

Not only was this hugely frustrating for those of us at the debate, and for the thousands who watched at home, it was entirely counterproductive to the Unionist case.

When the SNP are willing to put forward a compromise deal that would garner the support of the Scottish Parliament and the majority of voters in Scotland, the self-declared defenders of the Union should have moved quickly to seal the deal. Instead they seemed to reach for the self-destruct button.

The UK is already in a perilous position. Cast adrift from mainstream European opinion, it is now relegated to clutching at President Trump’s coat-tails in place of international solidarity.

Now, with their steadfast refusal to honour commitments made by the Prime Minister and others to guarantee a union of equals, those who label themselves as its biggest defenders may now be the very ones who have hastened its demise.