I ENJOYED reading the article from Ronnie Cowan.

Perhaps I could call it A Tale of Now and Then. As one of his constituents I can agree on and support many of his viewpoints. He has a team of hardworking staff and is a strong advocate on the way forward dealing with drugs and gambling and the environment.

His take on independence is where I diverge. The assertion that we must start working now to convince the electorate, to start to create convincing policies now, to set out the path now.

That word now is so important.

The “now” should have been immediately after the 2014 referendum. The clamour should have been amplified (after a week or two to mend our broken hearts and feet).

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We knew then what had to be addressed. The road, policies and rebuttals should have been laid then.

Then, bellows full of all the deceitful hot air should have been used to stoke and fan the feelings of betrayal delivered by The Vow.

Then came Brexit and the result. Colossal anger and dismay followed and should have resulted in Independence and a swift request to join EFTA and no energy, food crises on our land. An independence we were promised in the event of any material change – and boy, what a change.

I do not need to go into the horrors of Brexit damage but would add the horrendous price we have paid in Covid deaths – around 9000 compared to independent Norway around 900.

What happened? The fires were systematically doused. Big business, big money, landowners, careerists all jostled for positions and control. Eleven-point plans – is the paint dry?

Diversions got in the way. Unnecessary, costly, illegal court cases, time consuming and money swallowing inquiries, introduction of divisive Bills on non urgent policies, harassment of talented politicians and of course Covid.

We have lost a generation of young people, come of age, who have not heard or been inspired about independence, who have had no chance to march and who have not heard uplifting speeches. The wrong messages are getting through.

No one was set the task of laying those foundations for freedom.

Independence was shelved with no civil servants given the brief to answer the questions we might be asked by those still to be convinced. What would convince them? Actually if there are those still out there who need convincing in spite of all that has happened, in my opinion nothing is going to change them. They are settled and comfortable.

A chance to get rid of Unionist parties from Holyrood. Wow – actively thwarted.

A promised national energy company dropped to be replaced quietly by another talk shop most likely staffed by highly paid individuals from our purse. I could go on.

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Policies have been developed, costed and thought through by think tanks like Common Weal, the Scottish Constitution, Graeme McCormick, Revive et al. All ready to be tweaked with the bulk of the work done. All ignored and suffocated.

Meanwhile, back at Camp Colonial, legions of civil servants have been given their tasks, colonial HQs are going up in our major cities and route maps set out. They are and have been, busy tying Scotland in knots, stripping her powers and hollowing out our future. We have already waited too long.

Be an advocate by all means but deeds, not words, are by far the better road to travel. If we lose the next referendum it will not be through impatience but will sit squarely at the feet of those who drifted away from the main purpose of Independence for Scotland and did nothing over seven, long years to galvanise the public in the name of justice for our most vulnerable citizens. Those who were not prepared to seize the day.

Now was the time then and, by the way, we still have a shipyard to save now. My apologies to Ronnie. Had to fit Ferguson’s in somewhere.

Isobel Delussey

Gourock