DISAPPOINTED was an understatement when describing the way many independence supporters felt after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s speech last Friday.

This newspaper admits to sharing

the frustrations felt by many of our readers.

We were expecting some magical trick which would somehow circumvent Boris Johnson’s block on a second independence referendum and blow the starting whistle on the campaign we have been dreaming about for years.

Alas, sometimes dreams do not come true and the FM’s plea for patience was hardly the inspirational message we were hoping for. That does not mean, however, that patience is the wrong strategy.

Wherever we may have wanted to be this side of Brexit, we have to face the reality of where we are ... and that remains tantalisingly close to making Scotland an independent country.

Just because there is not yet a date for a referendum does not mean there is no campaign. Indeed, it is the responsibility of those who support independence to decide how best we can further that cause, individually and as a movement.

That may yet mean testing the legal case for the Scottish Government to hold a referendum without Westminster’s rubber stamp. But not quite yet.

There is much to be said for a strategy which seeks to persuade those who believe in democracy, if not yet independence, to support the principle of giving Scotland the right to choose its own future.

Yesterday’s announcement by Unison is an important development in that it shows that winning such support can be achieved. And it applies more pressure on Labour to act in the best interest of the country.

A united Scotland won devolution. A united Scotland helped to dismantle the poll tax. A united Scotland will prove unbeatable for a British Prime Minister determined to act like a tin pot dictator.

Nicola Sturgeon’s speech may not have been the speech we wanted. But to paraphrase the Rolling Stones ... it might just be what we need.