IT was clear well before Boris Johnson became Prime Minister that he was utterly unfit for high office, yet the Conservative Party elevated him to the highest office in the land.

Now, just three years later, his premiership is almost over, and two of the most senior ministers during his tenure are fighting like rats in a sack, seeking to disown every disastrous consequence of his inadequate government, in order to win his job.

On one hand there is Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, and the UK’s wealthiest politician.

On the other there is Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, who seems very fond of saying that she went to school in Paisley.

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We mustn’t forget that both of these politicians stood by Johnson’s side and agreed with every decision he’s made like nodding dogs over the past three years.

Apparently, Douglas Ross, my fellow Highlands and Islands MSP and Scottish Tory leader cannot make his mind up between the two.

And in any case, he isn’t telling.

Perhaps Mr Ross has learned from recent experience, having spent the last six months in a state of perpetual dizziness, owing to the number of U-turns he performed over Mr Johnson’s future.

Whatever the outcome one thing is unavoidably clear: Scotland will be governed by a fourth Tory Prime Minister since 2010, despite not voting for a Tory government since the 1950s!

Tory rule is bad enough at the best of times, but when we’re faced with the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades it is catastrophic for working people.

Let’s take household energy bills as an example. Money saving expert Martin Lewis has warned this week of “desperate” price rises, as the energy cap is expected to soar in October, and then go even higher in January.

Yet, the response we’ve seen from the Tories has been wholly inadequate. The support payments provided to those on universal credit barely covers the cut wielded by Sunak last year.

Yesterday, Shell and Centrica announced billions of pounds in part year profits. We’ve known for months that a comprehensive mechanism was required to use the sky-high profits of these energy giants to bring down bills.

Instead, we have Rishi Sunak’s energy profits levy, which has more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese and provides a perverse incentive for these companies to double down on dirty oil and gas extraction.

The former chancellor has also now proposed ditching VAT on energy bills, a policy he previously opposed, and one which while welcome, won’t come close to covering the massive rises bill payers are facing.

Scotland is an energy rich nation. We have huge masses of cheap renewable energy waiting to be tapped.

It is simply astonishing that the Westminster government has let this situation arise and demonstrates precisely why Scotland must become an independent country despite being repeatedly told that “Now is not the time”.

But now is precisely the time.

If the Tories can spend three months arguing over who should be their leader – completely failing to govern the country in the meantime – I think it’s perfectly possible, desirable even, to have a discussion about Scotland’s future, and whether we plan to let these charlatans continue to have a role in governing us in the years ahead.

With independence we could harness Scotland’s massive renewable energy potential – we have a quarter of Europe’s offshore renewable energy potential.

Not only could we provide enough cheap renewable energy for our own needs, we could lead Europe in transitioning to net zero, and help our neighbours end their reliance on Russian oil and gas at the same time.

Of course, building a net-zero economy at home and abroad requires politicians, workers and communities to come together.

I have been immensely impressed by the leadership shown by the trade union movement, particularly in recent months, as the cost of living crisis has begun to bite.

Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, has rightly received much praise for articulating the case for a fair deal for workers throughout the ongoing dispute with UK Government body Network Rail.

And of course, it’s great that we are seeing more women taking on leadership roles in the trade union movement too, with Roz Foyer proving to be an impressive leader of the STUC, and Sharon Graham championing workers’ rights as the head of Unite.

The trade union movement is absolutely pivotal to delivering on our climate ambitions as we build a fairer, greener and independent Scotland.

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It speaks to the priorities of the Westminster elite that the Tory leadership candidates are talking of curtailing workers’ right to strike, while Labour’s Keir Starmer sacked a frontbench spokesperson earlier this week simply for joining a picket line.

I was proud to join striking rail workers on their picket line in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

The UK already has some of the most draconian trade union laws in Europe, and the two candidates for Prime Minister have set their sights on eroding workers’ rights to strike even further – while Labour seems to have abandoned any pretence of being the workers’ party at all.

It’s clear to me that only by taking our future into our own hands and becoming an independent country can we build that fairer and greener Scotland that leads the continent in the just transition to net zero, recognises the importance of trade unions and is never again presided over by a Tory Government that we didn’t vote for.