BY late 2016 it had already been proved that the promises of Better Together were lies. It was already clear, six years ago, there were “material changes of circumstances” which rendered the narrow No result of 2014 null and void.

Some of us thought it could, and should, have been possible to hold a new, non-party-political, referendum on independence at any time from October 2016 on. Yet here we are, six years later, and, working to the snail-pace agenda of the ruling party in Scotland. A new referendum is still a year away and now it looks like there could be yet another General Election before the much-postponed referendum.

The mad Tory regime at Westminster has created conditions of chaos which have already cost many lives and will probably cost many more. That is their fault. But a lot of blame for us still being subject to whatever nuttiness comes out of Downing Street is down to the snail’s pace agenda favoured by leaders of the ruling party in Scotland.

Christopher Bruce (Letters, Oct 14) says the SNP are relying on the Tories having a “moral compass” they just don’t have. There’s a lot of truth in that. His solution is that these same professional politicians responsible for the snail’s pace of progress should “secede from this destructive Union today” then use the 2023 referendum to ask “Should Scotland be governed by a foreign country? Yes or No?”

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Apart from Christopher placing too much faith in professional politicians, with comfortable positions being eager to act decisively, there would obviously be objections to his wording for a question.

The reason we of the Radical Independence Campaign have kept pushing for a referendum using the same question as in 2014, rather than calling for the professional politicians to just declare independence, is because referendums can involve a LOT of people. And if your aim isn’t just a change of flags but far-reaching transformation of society, then it’s better to involve a lot of people.

Leaflets from the Radical Independence Angus group over the last couple of years have had themes including, “Never mind asking Boris Johnson. He can shove his ‘permission’ up his arse” (and the same goes for his successor, and her successor), and, “We say the Scottish Parliament should push ahead with organising a referendum now”.

A referendum can involve far more folk than ever turn out for party-political elections. We could win a really decisive Yes. And the minute it becomes clear that’s the result, as far as we’re concerned, THAT will be our IMMEDIATE Declaration of Independence; a declaration signed, not just by a few professional politicians, but by The People. OK, so the lawyers might take a bit longer to catch up with us.

That’s why we prefer a democratic self-determination referendum as the best route to independence, to involve as broad a mass of the people as possible in a transformation of Scotland which can be a beacon and an example to folk elsewhere.

And while the lawyers might waffle about a referendum just being “advisory”, from a revolutionary point of view, such a result could, in practice, begin having far-reaching effects immediately.

But if the enemies of self-determination who are in charge of the bonkers British nationalist regime continue to block, undermine, and sabotage democracy, then they will force the need to find other way.

And if they do, then they should be held guilty as enemies of the working class, enemies of democracy, and enemies of Scotland.

Dave Coull

Brechin