IT has been a monumental week in our journey to Scotland becoming an independent country. Polls showed earlier this week that support for Scottish independence is at record levels. 58% of people in Scotland want a different future to the one on offer from Boris Johnson and the UK establishment.

We are about to go into campaign mode for the Scottish Parliament elections, which is going to be directly centred around Scottish independence. The UK Government has continually rejected the SNP’s mandates from General elections, European elections, Local Government elections, our choice to remain in the EU, and the pro-independence majority that currently governs Scotland.

So why on earth will it be any different after next year's Holyrood election?

This is a fair question I feel and SNP supporters and members who see the SNP as the only vehicle to deliver our independence deserve an answer. My answer is that it is our job to convince a majority in Scotland that independence is our best chance of ever realising our true potential. We do this by demonstrating that no matter how hard we try to change Westminster and the UK as a whole, Scotland will always be an afterthought and never the priority.

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The last few years have laid bare the fractures and inequalities at the heart of this ‘Union of equals’, and every election where we achieve a pro-independence majority only exposes those fractures further. Eventually, in both the eyes of Scotland and the rest of the world, they will have to yield.

If you cast your mind back to 2017 the First Minister requested a section 30 order and was told ‘now is not the time’ by then Prime Minister Theresa May. Well I believe now is the time. We could get into a long debate about how this 58% support for independence figure has been achieved, but I believe it has been achieved by all of us in our own way.

This election will not be a walk in the park, opinion is heated and is changing daily. Everyone is feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we are all cooped up in the house spending more time on social media than usual, so try not to get lost in the dark world of Scottish political twitter and remember why we want a free, fair and equal independent country. Speak with your friends or family that don’t get involved with politics or those that voted no in 2014. They will tell you what you need to do for independence.

SNP members and indeed members of other pro-independence parties need to use this election as a platform to show those who recently became independence supporters, and also the 42% of people who still believe we should be part of the Union, why Scotland is better off taking our own path.

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Since 2014 Unionist politicians have repeatedly accused the SNP of always going on about independence. Patter like ‘neverendum’ or ‘once in a lifetime’ are never too far from our opponent’s mouths. In reality we all know these are just desperate sound bites flung in an attempt to hypnotise the electorate.

I remember in 2017 at the council elections we had Tory and Labour council candidates telling voters that if elected, they would stop an independence referendum. I don’t really know how they could achieve this in Renfrewshire Council but that’s my point, it is our opponents that have continually talked about independence since 2014 – not us. Well now it is our turn.

It’s our time to talk about the merits of independence. It’s time to tell voters why we would be better off without the concrete boots of Westminster constantly dragging us further towards darker depths.

It’s time to show voters the divergence between our progressive Scottish Government and the regressive, London-centric atrocity that currently governs us. What Glasgow wants from an independent Scotland will be completely different to what Skye wants or indeed the borders, so we need to make sure we are putting all the arguments across and the correct messages are getting to people all over Scotland.

The Internal Market Bill is about to tear up the devolution settlement in front of our eyes. If you are not already then, I urge you to make yourself aware of this legislation please. It essentially gives Westminster a finger in the pie on policy areas that are strictly devolved to Holyrood.

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Powers in areas such as health, education, housing and water to name a few. This is the biggest attack ever on our devolution and it is imperative that we fight this.

The Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, repeatedly tells me at Scotland questions that he has discussions with Ministers on a variety of subjects that strengthen Scotland’s place in the Union. I personally cannot find one single example of any discussions Mr Jack has had with any ministers that have directly benefited the people of Scotland due to the work done by the Scotland Office. Mr Jack should have a discussion with the Minister of the Union, Boris Johnson, and tell him the game is up.

I said recently 62 countries have taken their independence and never looked back. It is time for Scotland to be number 63. Let’s stay focussed and make it a reality.