THIS year’s SNP conference is taking place against the backdrop of a plan in place for the road to an independence referendum.
In the coming days, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether Holyrood has the power to hold a vote.
With the outcome not expected for a number of weeks, there has been something of a sense of biding time as party members gathered in Aberdeen.
The only big announcement so far has been the launch of a new broadcasting platform which was quickly dubbed "Natflix".
On day two of the conference, the issue of independence was on the agenda – but what did the interviews, speeches and discussions reveal about the next steps of the campaign?
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Nicola Sturgeon started the day with an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, in which she said there was little point in speculating about the outcome of the court hearing.
If the answer is yes, she said the plans are “ready to go” for a referendum next year and using a General Election as a defacto referendum was a last resort.
When quizzed on whether she was running out of options for holding a vote on independence, the First Minister acknowledged was the case to “some extent” – but argued this was one of the most powerful arguments for showing why Scotland should be independent.
“If our options are limited it is because a Westminster system refuses Scottish democracy,” she added.
Appearing on the same show was MP Joanna Cherry, on a panel along with former Better Together leader Alistair Darling popping up once again.
Cherry was keen to emphasise she agreed with Sturgeon it was the right plan not to “flesh out” any later parts of the campaign strategy ahead of the Supreme Court case.
There’s a mix of views among SNP delegates on whether the legal action will result in a referendum, while many commentators have downplayed the chances of the judges backing Holyrood having the powers to hold a vote.
But Cherry cautioned people against the assumption the SNP would lose the case, pointing to Supreme Court cases she has been previously involved in around Brexit which overturned expectations, such as the challenging of the prorogation of the UK Parliament.
During a session at conference on Scotland’s Future: Independence, Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson outlined the path so far to a second referendum, pointing to election victories won by the SNP and the publication of the new papers which will make up the new prospectus for independence.
SNP President Michael Russell was also keen to emphasise how far the party has come in recent decades, reminiscing about his first ever conference which was held in Rothesay in 1983 – a far smaller event held at a time when there was no Scottish Parliament and just two SNP MPs.
When it comes to the idea of a new independence campaign, he urged members not to wait for some kind of new formal independence campaign to launch, but to use material such as that being issued from Scottish Government and Believe in Scotland to inform others in on the case for leaving the UK.
READ MORE: Yes movement code of conduct motion passes after lively debate
“Don’t ask when the campaign is starting – we are the campaign and across Scotland it is well underway,” he said, prompting a round of applause from delegates.
Russell also spoke in favour of a resolution at the conference calling for a new code of conduct to be drawn up for everyone in the Yes campaign to sign up to, which was passed despite delegates speaking against the motion, arguing it was “a piece of garbage”.
He spoke of a new referendum campaign which would be “essentially different” from that in 2014, acknowledging divisions which have emerged within the Yes movement since then.
The SNP president hinted there would not be a replica of Yes Scotland, saying it would require a different organisational approach and be more of a “co-ordinating house” aiming to bring together different visions than a single standalone campaigning body.
Tomorrow will bring the close of the conference with a speech from the First Minister.
The message to delegates has been that the SNP is doing everything it can to make a referendum happen and it’s time to get out and campaign in preperation for a fresh vote – but the big unknown is still exactly how it will get there.
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