MUCH as many activists may wish there was only one single magic bullet or knight in shining armour that will gain our independence, all the complaints about apparent “inaction” – actually meaning “lack of success” – pale into insignificance in the face of a singular reality, which is that for any claim of right to have any chance of success it is essential that we can clearly demonstrate a majority of voter support for that claim.

READ MORE: Letter to John Swinney will highlight a dereliction of duty

All the registered political parties’ hands are tied legally. We may well complain about that iniquity, but it is a reality and those parties all have to work within those constraints or be proscribed. Any proscription, romantic as it may seem, reduces and discredits our public presence.

It is ultimately up to all of us to jointly present our cause in some semblance of a united front. Arguing amongst ourselves reduces our credibility and influence. Let that be the real legacy of Alex Salmond’s success of 2014 and not the more recent less-than-edifying spectacles.

Nick Cole
Meigle, Perthshire