IT has been some time since I have penned a letter to The National but following on from Lesley Riddoch’s article I very much echo her sentiments in her post-mortem of the independence convention, which I attended with much scepticism and concern (The grassroots are finding common cause ... leaders must do the same, Jun 29).

The last three months have been dominated by the FM Humza Yousaf asserting his leadership of the SNP in very difficult circumstances, both with the internal turmoil which has beset the party and making his presence felt at Holyrood (FMQs et al).

Dealing with a very hostile media – particularly the press and our broadcasters, who revel in the misfortunes of the SNP – has been a major hurdle on a daily basis for our leader, who incidentally I did not vote for in the leadership election.

Many like me, party members or otherwise, have spent this period reserving judgement on how our new leader’s performance would stand up to scrutiny in taking the party and country forward.

Nicola Sturgeon is a hard act to follow and the internal issues facing the party (not yet resolved) have merely added to the uncertainty facing us all.

One of the key issues which has been the “elephant in the room” is how and when the question of independence will be addressed by the party. Members and activists regard this as absolutely crucial for not only the wellbeing of the party but its very survival.

Having been a virtual bystander for the last three months I am now not only pleasantly surprised but delighted with what I have seen and experienced of our new FM’s performance, particularly after his performance at last Saturday’s independence convention.

Two key questions have been answered to my satisfaction.

Firstly, Humza Yousaf has without a doubt not only shown great skill and competence as a leader and FM with a clear grasp of his brief, his oratory and a grasp of the detail of his portfolio of responsibilities – he can not only manage the “big stage” but also comes across as an honest and caring politician with a high degree of empathy.

A real bonus for me are his adversarial skills and his ability to “fight his and the party’s corner” at FMQs, silence the opposition and deal with the media.

Grudgingly, I believe those adversarial skills are better and more polished than Nicola Sturgeon’s.

In fact after the convention, the constant “presence” of Nicola Sturgeon “in the background” has now left the party. Humza Yousaf is now his own man. Only time will tell whether he can re-energise the party and the Yes movement to an independence victory.

Secondly, and more importantly after the June 24 convention, the FM’s performance, the clarity of his speech, supplemented by speeches at every level of the party, not only clarified the way forward for our independence aspirations but clearly united the party, raised our morale and created a resolve which could be palpably felt in the Caird Hall.

With the inclusion of contributions from (non-SNP) high-profile Yes members enthusiastically supported by the SNP audience, all augers well for the battles ahead to the next General Election.

I believe the party, with SNP conference agreement, has at last placed independence at the heart of SNP strategy going forward. This must happen with a clear, unambiguous alliance with all Yes-supporting parties and organisations. This is an INDEPENDENCE General Election – no ifs, no buts!

Success will lead to Scotland taking the initiative and putting in place the strategy to declare our independence to the UK and the rest of Europe and internationally. The days of “asking permission” are over!

Dan Wood

Kirriemuir