THE new independence prospectus succinctly sets out the ideological chasm between the Scottish and Westminster governments.
We aren’t due to see the contents of the next white paper until around the time the Scottish Parliament resumes on September 5 - the same day we will find out who the next prime minister is - but the blueprints released so far have given a taster of what to expect.
The independence campaign is going to be fought on the economy, the border, rejoining the EU, and the possibilities we have as an independent nation.
READ MORE: Indyref2: What does the second white paper say?
This is of course partially covered in the Renewing Democracy paper, but its real goal is to show the damning impact Westminster's decisions have had on Scotland, and that it did.
It couldn’t be more timely - as we watch a few hundred thousand Tory party members pick the next Prime Minister, one Scotland did not vote for, and won’t have the opportunity to.
It was a moment the First Minister was right to seize, as the Westminster chaos is proving the point more and more.
The absence of a sovereign wealth fund, like Norway, from oil and gas profits was another key point in the document, showing the financial impact of Westminster’s decisions to hand over our country’s wealth to billionaire fossil fuel firms.
Scotland has no control over licensing its own assets, or taking a different approach than the doomed maximum economic recovery policy of the UK.
The threat to human rights is looming - with the Tories set to rip up the Human Rights Act post-Brexit - entrenching these in a Scottish constitution and guaranteeing rights for future citizens is more important than ever.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon responds to Alba MPs' Westminster protest
The First Minister was correct when she said that the current Tory leadership contenders will drag the party further to the right, we’ve seen plenty of evidence of them hitting out at “woke culture” and no sign of scrapping the atrocious plan to fly refugees to Rwanda for “processing” within days of Johnson’s resignation.
It’s no coincidence that failed contenders Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt ruled out indyref2 for a decade - they were playing to their membership, not concerned about democracy for the rest of the UK.
The Westminster government of 2014 was not the same as it is now. Boris Johnson has ensured that by overseeing an erosion of public trust and demonstrating a complete disregard for the rules.
From quietly infringing on devolved areas like transport through the levelling up fund to ignoring the Scottish Parliament’s decision to refuse consent to numerous pieces of post-Brexit legislation, it’s crucial that the Scottish Government gets the case across - independence is the only way for Scots to make their voice truly heard, and we have to seize it.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel