SCOTLAND’S independence trailblazer Winnie Ewing famously said: “Stop the World – Scotland wants to get on”. With Scottish independence closer than ever, the world is now increasingly watching and foreign diplomats and international media are closely following developments. Many Scottish (inter)nationalists became involved in the independence campaign because we want Scotland to be outward-looking, re-join the family of nations and be a force for good.

The launch of the SNP manifesto for the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election has underscored how important the international dimension is to Scottish independence. The SNP’s priorities will be looked at closely in European and other capitals as well as by multilateral organisations.

Top of the list is the SNP commitment to hold an independence referendum as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. The manifesto is clear and unambiguous: “We are seeking the permission of the Scottish people in this election for an independence referendum to take place after the crisis. This would be within the next parliamentary term on a specific date to be determined by our democratically elected Parliament.”

If the Covid crisis has passed, the SNP intention is for the referendum to be within the first half of the five-year term – once the crisis is over but in time to equip our Parliament with the full powers it needs to drive our long-term recovery from Covid and build a better, fairer nation.

The SNP manifesto is indisputable about the mandate, mechanism and timescale for an independence referendum: “If the SNP is returned to government and there is a simple majority in the Scottish Parliament for that bill after the election, there can be no moral or democratic justification for Boris Johnson or any Westminster government to obstruct the right of the people of Scotland to decide their own future.”

The SNP manifesto also highlights the international relevance of the referendum process: “The SNP are clear the referendum must be capable of bringing about independence and therefore it must be accepted as legitimate and constitutional at home and abroad.”

Observers from around the world are also interested in the kind of emerging state Scotland would become.

Having already unanimously passed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law in the Scottish Parliament, the SNP are committed to incorporating four more United Nations Human Rights treaties into Scots Law:

- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

- The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Not only will this kind of world-leading human rights legislation reduce inequality and advance the rights of everyone and ensure human rights are embedded in every aspect of life in Scotland, it also shows the value Scotland places in the United Nations, multilateralism and global standards.

In addition to the groundbreaking SNP commitments on Covid and economic recovery as well as domestic health, education, public services and the environment, the SNP manifesto outlines a series of specific international priorities.

These are summarised as: “Scotland is a welcoming, outward-looking and inclusive nation. Our relationships with international community benefit trade, investment, travel, education, and knowledge exchange.

“They help promote our values, such as human rights, and are crucial in the fight against global challenges like climate change. We believe we have a strong role to play through both action and leadership – on the world stage now, and as a full independent country soon.”

Specific pledges in the SNP manifesto commits a re-elected SNP Scottish Government to “maintain and strengthen Scotland’s relationship with our EU partners – with a view to re-joining as soon as possible”, to develop our welcoming approach and services to migrants to Scotland including European Union residents, to create a new global affairs framework to build international engagement and adopt a feminist foreign policy, to establish a Scottish Council for Global Affairs and a Peace Institute and a new strategy for the Scottish diaspora.

International co-operation is also prioritised with the Wellbeing Economy Government Network, international development, sustainable development and opposition to nuclear weapons.

These new manifesto commitments complement existing SNP policy on multilateralism through the UN and EU and mutual defence and security with Nato and the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe). Long-standing priorities also include regional co-operation with the home nations, northern European neighbours, EU partners, Commonwealth and other countries with historic and new connections to Scotland.

Scotland is well-placed to become an independent country and there is a solid plan for its international agenda. The 2021 SNP Scottish Parliament election manifesto outlines a vision brimming with international as well as domestic priorities. If people re-elect the SNP Scottish Government, Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister and vote Yes in the following independence referendum, Scotland will re-join the international community and play an ambitious, co-operative and progressive role in the world.