PERHAPS the most jaded election campaign of our lives so far finally comes to its end today.

We’re staring a Labour “supermajority” in the face, an undemocratic feat I’d be loathe to celebrate under any circumstance, and while the thought of the Tories finally getting the boot after more than a decade of misery and the destruction of the very fabric of the UK thrills me to no end, should that be the case tomorrow morning, I’ll find the result somewhat bittersweet.

The truth is that this Labour Party are not like any Labour Party gone by. In fact, it’s almost become difficult to differentiate between Labour policy and Tory policy of late – and it seems like though the UK might feel like it’s voting for change, change is unlikely to be the outcome of a Labour supermajority.

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Particularly if, as the polls suggest, the Tories still manage to snag second place – though that too is seemingly hanging by a thread. Should we be faced with a Labour majority and a Tory opposition, I’m failing to see what the difference will actually be.

Keir Starmer has confirmed that austerity will live on, Wes Streeting has repeatedly alluded to the fact that privatisation of the NHS is very much on the cards, the dog-whistle narratives around refugees and asylum seekers have become an intentional Labour campaign weapon, and they have lined up beside the Tories in support of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Palestine.

When I look at the two parties, there’s very little left that differentiates them.

This election is quite unique in that the entire United Kingdom seems to be overwhelmingly united in one outcome – and that’s kicking the Tories to the curb.

Their chickens have finally come home to roost and years’ of abysmal governance on their behalf has finally inspired the UK electorate to take a stand, or so it seems.

But the idea peddled by their supporters that everyone should hold their nose and vote Labour just to ensure the Tories get the boot is a bit of a false economy at best – and downright dishonest at worst.

I have found this election campaign to be the most difficult of my political life so far. I am not enthused, and for the first time I have found it difficult to feel inspired. Partly it is because Westminster elections seldom inspire me; they are the starkest example of how broken our system is. Scotland’s future will be decided by England today regardless of how every single person in Scotland votes – that’s the cold, hard truth.

It’s difficult to be enthused about a campaign in those circumstances, it’s even more difficult when the appetite for Tory destruction is so large that a Unionist party looks set to increase its support across Scotland.

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It has never been clearer to me that the only viable route to lasting change for Scotland and the people who live here is to decide that future for ourselves. I feel hopeless because in this Union, there is no hope.

Whoever wins this election will win because England decided that they should.

Until Scotland secures her independence, there is no real say for any of us north of the Border – and we will continue to be at the mercy of the English electorate until we choose otherwise.

But on the back of so much instability in the last five years, and a changing of the guard twice at SNP HQ in the last 18 months, it’s not difficult to see why there might be some growing apprehension around independence, and why the short term goal of kicking the Tories out appears to be so appealing to the electorate in Scotland.

More than anything, people are feeling the bite of Tory governance and mismanagement and are desperate for their quality of life to improve.

Whether we like it or not, independence is not and will not be a quick fix for over a decade of treacherous leadership. It will be a learning curve, it will take time and thoughtful execution – and it will almost certainly create anxiety and instability in the interim period.

And funnily enough, all of those things are not appealing to an electorate who have felt the burn of a cost of living crisis and a disastrous Brexit process back to back.

We need to start being honest about this reality – the polls are telling us that our campaign as it stands is not resonating, and we are not doing enough to retain the support we worked so hard to build.

Independence is not a pie-in-the-sky answer to all of our problems, it’s a mechanism to grasp the future of our country in our own two hands – and make it our own. And at least when things go wrong, and they inevitably will at points along the way, the Scottish people and the Scottish people alone are in the driving seat.

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We have learned, more in the last five years than in any other time period, that there is simply too much at stake to entrust the electorate of England with the future of Scotland.

We are two different countries, with two different needs, political identities and ambitions for the most part. It simply makes no sense to be politically married.

But we need to also be honest with people about the journey we will go on to get there – or they will never be convinced that it’s worth it.

When this election is over and done with, and I will breathe a sigh of relief when it is, all independence-supporting parties need to come back with a bang and a fresh lease of life.

There is plenty of hope to be found for our cause – yesterday The Scotsman published their final poll ahead of today’s vote that put the SNP marginally ahead of Labour, proving that despite some instability and change for Scotland’s governing party – the party of independence is still standing strong, against the odds.

The support is there, and Starmer, though try as he might, has failed to quash it in the fashion that he expected to. He also does not need Scotland to vote Labour to secure his win, but Scotland does need a strong opposition voice at Westminster that is going to stand up for the interests of Scotland and Scotland alone.

We might not have much of a say in who becomes the prime minister, but we can make sure that he is forced to listen to us.