Leading pro-independence campaigners on how we secure a Yes vote now

Paul Kavanagh (aka Wee Ginger Dug)

Wee Ginger Dug

I think in the longer term the events of last week are good for Scottish independence. I was very struck by the information from Progressive Scotland that previous No voters are now undecided and soft Nos have moved over to Yes because of their despair of what is happening at Westminster and not because they have been persuaded by a positive case for Yes.

What is happening now is that more and more people are losing faith in Westminster to do the basic stuff like being a guarantor of democracy. Westminster is showing people that the government we have got is a government prepared to break the law and be unapologetic about it. Boris Johnson on Wednesday signalled he would be prepared to break it again by refusing to ask for an extension to Article 50.

They are a government of law breakers who are giving a boorish display of posh boy contempt which I think plays particularly badly in Scotland.

In the longer term this all feeds into the independence narrative which is that the only way to have a safe democracy is with a written constitution and politicians that can be held to account.

We are now seeing a government that is unaccountable to anybody because of the shortcomings of the British political system.

There is a lot of talk in the independence movement that we need to move now and it is true that people like me would crawl over broken glass to vote Yes but there are not enough of us to guarantee a Yes vote.

The SNP have to demonstrate to wavering voters they have exhausted every strategy and exhausted every road and there is nothing left within the framework of the UK that can respond to the concerns that soft No voters might have. That means that when the time comes we can take these people with us and we can say none of our efforts have worked because of the fundamental structural failures of the British state and there is no way out except independence.

I think we are getting to that point but I think it is something we have to allow to play out because we are powerless to stop it and when we have the referendum we can say this is the way out of it.

It is the difference between being in the backseat or driving a car speeding down the motorway. If you are driving and are out of control you can put the brakes on but at the moment we are stuck in the back seat and there is nothing we can do about it. That is what we need to pitch – that we are the ones that are going to be able to direct this and have a written constitution which will specify the powers and limits of parliament’s authority.

I want a referendum sooner rather than later. The longer we leave it the more we are going to diverge from European norms and that is going to make it harder to get back into the EU again.

Also the longer we leave it the more normalised people will become to the new situation so it is important to act sooner rather than later.

I would like to see the Scottish Government being more assertive that we have the right to a referendum. I get what they are doing at the moment – they are not making a pitch to people like me and I suspect things might change after this general election which is definitely coming. That is going to alter the political landscape quite drastically as it looks as though the Tories are facing a possible wipe out in Scotland so it is going to be hard for them to maintain that people don’t want a referendum. We will just have to wait and see but I am hoping that then the Scottish Government will be more assertive in demands for a referendum.

Boris Johnson on Wednesday made a very naked attempt to stir up English nationalism by talking the language of war. For these English nationalists Scotland is seen as a roadblock in pursuit of their ambitions and that reduces the opposition within the Tory party to allowing Scotland to have a referendum.

Philippa Whitford SNP MP for Central Ayrshire:

Philippa Whitford

I THINK that for many people the whole argument of staying in the UK has been undermined by the shocking behaviour of the Government, first in proroguing Parliament and then in the appalling session in the Chamber on Wednesday night when women MPs were speaking of threats and the death of Jo Cox and Boris Johnson said it was the biggest load of humbug he had ever heard.

The biggest obstruction for us getting a referendum and independence itself is the need to convince our fellow citizens that that is the way we should go. If we go back to Westminster with 50 or more MPS and sitting at 60% in the polls for independence then it will become unstoppable and indefensible to say we can’t have a referendum.

convince our fellow citizens that that is the way we should go. If we go back to Westminster with 50 or more MPS and sitting at 60% in the polls for independence then it will become unstoppable and indefensible to say we can’t have a referendum.

Chris McEleny, SNP leader at Inverclyde;

Chris McEleny

This week’s events have taken us one step closer to independence. Many reasonable people watching who voted No in 2014 are now saying that the UK simply doesn’t work for Scotland.

It’s clear now that we need to put all our efforts into ensuring that the democratic mandate of Scotland is heard. However, we have a feckless Franco as a Prime Minister who is willing to lie to the Queen and break every rule. It’s unlikely he can be trusted to deliver a section 30 order to allow a referendum on Scotland’s future.

If the UK Government refuse to accept Scotland’s mandate then we must have a plan B that ensures people in Scotland do have a choice on their future.

One thing is certain, with Joanna Cherry’s success the UK government will quivering in their boots at the prospect of her proving in a court of law that Scotland doesn’t need the UK Government’s permission to hold a referendum on independence.

Tommy Sheppard, SNP MP for Edinburgh East:

Tommy Sheppard

A huge part of the case for independence has been based on the notion of the democratic deficit, that Westminster is not capable of adequately representing the aspirations of the people of Scotland.

Well in the last few days, weeks and months and since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister that is the case with knobs on. It is triple charging the democratic deficit and is showing in sharp relief the differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK and also intensifying the case that the system is not fit for purpose. It is all interrelated.

I would stress the point that there are very positive arguments for independence that are not do with the inadequacy of the UK and we have to make sure we get that positive message across as well. We don’t want it to be seen as something we do because it is better than what we have at the moment. I would be wary about building the case for independence on the basis of the fact that we have the most right wing and vicious administration in the UK that there has been in my lifetime.

But I think the most interesting thing about the whole political system in terms of independence is its instability and the fact that it is only being held by sticky tape and it is only a matter of weeks before the edifice crumbles. In my view there will be a general election before the end of November if not sooner. Boris Johnson’s behaviour in the light of the court judgement has added fuel to those who say now is the time for a no confidence vote in the administration for the purpose of extending the Brexit deadline by calling a general election.

There will be a general election and there will be a chance to have a vote on independence and therefore the question for me is what do we do in the election to move it forward. Our win in Scotland must clearly be on the basis of saying Scotland has the right to choose. We are not saying stop Brexit but give us the choice of not being put in this situation again by giving us control. The right of the Scottish Parliament to offer people that choice is what is at stake in this election. Whose decision is it that people get another vote? Is that the decision of the people of Scotland or is it going to be vetoed by the people of England?

It is our right to choose. It is not a vote for independence itself but one which would then enable the right to choose.

I think some colleagues get very bogged down in the procedure but there is no short cut for winning political support and that is what minds should be focused on.

It is not in our interests for Boris Johnson to get a majority so we are not allowing him to choose the battlefield. It is important that we do not give him carte blanche to maximise his chances. It is in our interests to have a hung parliament because in those circumstances our political leverage will be much greater.

We could get a majority Tory Government and if that happens it is essential we have the mandate in our back pocket. We should not be crossing bridges before we come to them but there are many tactics we can deploy to force their hand.

And I don’t think people will be fearful of more change. The future is going to be different so why not at least take the ability to control the journey, to decide the path ourselves and not have it dictated to us.

Lesley Riddoch:

I think the collapse of authority at Westminster has accelerated a detachment in belief in British governance, but I’m not sure former No or undecided voters have yet attached to a belief in the governance credentials of an indy Scotland.

That’s not surprising in a way - that stall hasn’t really been set out yet.

I realise Nicola Sturgeon’s tactics to date have helped the union unravel and have the virtue of not appearing to lecture the undecided. It’s always better when people come to their own conclusions and don’t feel they’ve been “telt”.

But I doubt that the final stage - of attaching to the idea of independence in ways that move the opinion polls - won’t happen until there’s a sketched out vision of our independent future, clarity (!) about the Brexit status of rUK and the focusing deadline of another imminent vote.

Robin McAlpine Robin McAlpine, director, Common Weal:

It’s a disaster when you go a week like this and you barely mention independence.

This week was not productive for independence. The SNP squandered one of the few opportunities we have to make progress.

We need to move it forward a little every day. You get very few opportunities better than this right now.

What we have to do is get the preparation work done. We need to be able to comfortably answer every question about what to do about borders, taxation and the devolution of the civil service for example. We can’t defer that forever. We have got to put our case in order.

We have got to start building up an infrastructure and a strategy, and where we have the limelight, we must use it to move forward a story about independence. If the word Brexit never passes my lips again I could not be happier.

It is only an indication of the collapse of politics.

There are those that think that if you keep saying bad things about Westminster people will arrive at the conclusion that independence is better but you are just reinforcing Westminster as the point of authority.

I think this week has finished off any prospect of any form of progress towards independence without a section 30 order because that is the implication of endorsing the story that the British constitution is interpreted legally by the Supreme Court.

Gillian Martin, SNP MSP for Aberdeen East:

Gillian Martin

I think last week has moved the case for independence forward. For a good while I truly think people did not believe Brexit was really going to happen but with Boris Johnston’s determination to take us out on October 31, come what may, they are starting to wake up to the fact that it is going to happen, and happen in the worst way possible.

People who voted No are now coming to see me in my MSP capacity and in passing saying they have changed their minds.

The people I have spoken to who voted for Brexit did not vote for chaos. They did not vote for a situation where they did not know what Brexit was going to look like three years later. I think that makes independence more likely.

It is frustrating that we have to get a Section 30 order but I don’t think they can keep saying no forever. That’s not democracy. Even the opposition parties in Holyrood know a second referendum is imminent.

Anyone running a Better Together campaign in future will need to work an awful lot harder than in 2014.

Christine Grahame, SNP MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale:

Christine Grahame

In my view having campaigned for independence for 50 years there is no more appropriate time for Scotland to become independent than now. We have Scotland voting against Brexit and the chaos and complete meltdown at Westminster. The British state is broken.

Scotland I am sure would be welcomed into the EU community. It is time for Scotland to be back as an independent nation and be part of the European family and international community.

If the UK Government, in the light of an increased majority of SNP MPs being returned, refuse section 30 then they leave the option open for us to take our own path. We cannot have a failed UK state vetoing a nation’s wish to be independent. We have always acted within the law and within the international law and within that no other state can deny a nation’s independence if they want it.

Andrew Wilson, chairman of the Growth Commission:

Andrew Wilson

The most important takeaway from the toxicity of the Westminster political system is to learn how not to do change and reform. The independence case must shine as the antidote to Brexit and strongman populism.

We speak the truth, focus on the vision of the international, inclusive, caring society we want to become. We seek to take our place as an independent partner in the European Union just like Finland and Denmark and Ireland all are.

We tell the truth that getting there will take effort and a coherant plan which people can read before they vote for it. The opposite of Brexit, candid honest and real. Independence will be hard work, it will take real effort, it will not be easy but it will be worth it.

Maggie Chapman, chair of the Scottish Independence Convention:

Maggie Chapman

We are in a situation where British politics is descending into the kind of angry, polarised debate that we have come to expect from Trump’s America. That this is transparently being orchestrated to deepen divisions and stoke hatred makes it all the worse. We urgently need to find ways to debate the future - of our constitution and our democracy - that don’t drive people to fear for their lives or the safety of those around them. 

I believe in politics as a force for good. It was political debate, engagement in debate and empowerment of citizens that secured all the significant advances in human rights in the 20th century. We surely want to be able to debate the things that matter in ways where nobody is made to feel unsafe? What we’ve seen this last week is clearly quite the reverse. 

Now, more than ever, we need to be talking about how we meet the challenges of the future: climate breakdown, increasing intergenerational inequality, our interactions with global geopolitics, and so on. The discussion about Scotland’s future must be of a very different kind. We are certainly getting some very clear examples from Westminster of what not to do in politics to engage, enthuse and include people in these important discussions. 

I firmly believe that we can do things differently - and better - in Scotland. We already have plenty of examples of communities creating the spaces to have conservations in respectful, informative and supportive ways, even where there is disagreement. And I hope that these types of political discussion will become commonplace as we shape Scotland’s future, so that no one, ever, fears for their safety because they are active citizens.

Angus MacNeil, SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar:

Angus MacNeil

We should know for sure whether we are definitely going to get a section 30 order or we will have to try another route. We have not asked for a section 30 in three years and three months when we have a mandate and parliament voted for it back in March 2017 and I don’t know why not.

There has probably never been a better time for independence.