IN a recent letter, I suggested that perhaps “rocking the boat” and demanding alternative strategies to further Yes to independence was perhaps rather premature. My “wait and see” advice was predicated on First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government having to concentrate on the Covid-19 epidemic without Westminster interference, and as a consequence were able to show the Scottish nation that our government can handle effectively the serious challenge of this pandemic.

The continuing inept, chaotic response of Boris Johnson and his British nationalist Tories to the same crisis would to a large degree do the job of convincing No voters that supporting independence and not the Union is not as far fetched as previously thought. As a consequence the dire performances of the Tories, Labour and the LibDems together would push our Yes support into the 50+ percentages.

How well is this progressing at a time when lockdown is being eased?

There has been much comment, not only in The National, but other press and social media. We still have lobby groups and pundits looking for clear alternatives/Plan Bs as a reaction to the likelihood of a Section 30 order remaining out of reach, despite the clear evidence that a surge in support for Yes is now constant.

The clear intransigence of Johnson and the Tories to what is happening in Scotland has forced those such as Angus MacNeil, Chris McEleny and other Yes groups to strongly demand alternative independence strategies. It is not clear, however, when Mr McEleny states that a victory in the 2021 Holyrood election “will be the moment we will seek a mandate to negotiate our independence”.

An SNP majority of 65+ seats may also lead to nothing, but only a referendum of all the people of Scotland can deliver independence. Nothing from Plan B supporters on how we do this?

I believe that Kathleen Nutt’s article (Support for Yes up as middle classes switch from No side, June 23) to be significant. Although all polls need to be examined with caution, she indicates significant changes have taken place in a variety of poll sources. Its clear that there has been a surge to Yes to 54% off the back of over 50% being achieved in a number of prior polls. Only a majority of all those allowed to vote in Scotland will deliver independence. In my view a consistent 60% figure would be the “gold standard”.

Even the most vehement Unionist Tory could not ignore such consistent levels of support for independence. Such levels of support have not been as a result of constantly demanding Plan Bs or from SNP politicking, nor banging the independence drum. It has arisen from the Scottish public seeing for itself how our country is being managed and led through this life-and-death pandemic by the FM and her team. In sharp contrast, the English Tories sitting in Holyrood and Westminster have panic in their faces. From the Tories comes total indifference, anger, insults, derision and much British nationalist posturing from Johnson, Gove, Carlaw, Bowie, Gray and now Stewart. This is supplemented on a daily basis with sniping and anti-Scottish rhetoric from the lower echelons of this right-wing party.

It is quite clear that the Tory party’s performance and reputation in both Holyrood and Westminster since the start of the coronavirus epidemic is now in tatters and its politicians have become laughable caricatures.

The Scottish public and their disillusioned supporters clearly see this. I have no doubt that the increase in support for Yes and independence is a result of the positive performance of our FM and Scottish Government and the abysmal failure of Johnson and the Tories. Is it not ironic that the SNP and the Yes movement’s independence strategies have been put on hold by the coronavirus crisis, yet support for our movement has risen steadily all the way through it?

Let me say to our impatient supporters, bide your time. We are winning the arguments and reaping the rewards without rocking the boat called independence.

Dan Wood

Kirriemuir