I DON’T think the Supreme Court ruling, whilst undoubtedly a blow to the meaning of democracy in Scotland, came as much of a surprise. We are very used to being spoken down to by the political powers that be – but history shows we’re also very good at fighting for our mighty wee nation. A fight that spans centuries and that is indubitably nearing its end once and for all.

Whilst the Unionists flocked to Twitter to gloat about the results – what they fail to realise is that this attempt by the UK ­Government to thwart the democratic voice of Scotland is another nail in the coffin of the United Kingdom as we know it. With each example of disrespect and disdain for our voice, the more our support will grow.

The ruling was frustrating, but I’ve found it to be a great week to be an independence supporter. It feels like the tide is changing, and whilst they’re busy celebrating and ­assuming the issue of independence and the masses of supporters behind it are ­going to go away, we’re organising and ­galvanising.

Immediately after the ruling, Channel 4 conducted a poll that showed 50% of ­people would vote for the SNP in the next ­election if that vote could be used to ­negotiate ­independence. 50% is an ­incredible ­starting point for a campaign that has not yet even begun and puts us firmly on track to win – not quite the UK Government’s intended impact, I’m sure.

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Whilst it’s up to us to harness this ­moment and turn it into support for our cause, the UK Government are very clear – democracy is not their primary interest, so even if we do amass majority support for indy, what we’ve been told, ­essentially, is that they’ll decide regardless. For ­readers who are potentially on the fence or are ­exploring independence for the first time in the wake of the ruling, this is the ­fundamental ­argument for independence.

They’ll have you believe it is about ­division and shouting freedom from the rooftops – what it’s actually about is the ­political independence we need to honour the best interests of the people that live here. Need being the operative word – we simply cannot afford the policy we get handed by the UK Government. It is ­notoriously not in the interests of Scotland, it does not work for us or for our benefit, and we are rarely considered – or even ­respected – as a significant stakeholder in the forming of it.

The reality is that it’s perfectly OK to be ­different nations with different ­political ­priorities – we can be friends and ­neighbours without being married. If you don’t want to govern in a way that suits Scotland’s interests, simply remove your responsibility to govern us and we will do it ourselves – a very simple notion that the UK Government is yet to grasp.

WHAT we learned last week is that Scotland can be ripped from the EU against our will, we can be subject to Tory policy that impoverishes our children and decimates our economy – and it doesn’t matter whether we voted for it or not (spoiler alert – we didn’t). Whilst I respect the ruling last week, I don’t respect the outdated and unfit-for-purpose law that it was based upon.

Scotland hasn’t voted Conservative since the 1950s, yet has suffered under their governance for almost half of that time. The very people we ­overwhelmingly reject at every possible opportunity – are the same people telling us what we can and cannot do with our own affairs.

With Scotland’s 59 MPs to England’s 533 (soon to be 57 vs 543 following ­boundary changes), the imbalance of power is in plain sight. ­Notwithstanding all the other reasons this position is ­untenable – the very basic definition of democracy cannot be found in ­practice here. And if the law in a supposed ­democracy empowers a political power to enforce non-democratic practices, it is not fit for purpose and is not for the benefit of the people it was intended to serve.

Frustration is a powerful tool in the fight for meaningful change, and in the face of the suppression of our ­democratic voice, we must channel it into mass ­mobilisation. Our biggest strength, one the UK doesn’t possess in nearly the same numbers, is our thousands of grassroots campaigners on the ground. We have teams of experienced people poised to knock on every door in Scotland and speak to every voter, and thanks to this ­ruling, they’re more charged and ready to go than ever before.

In order to harness this effectively, though, we have to act now. We ­simply don’t have the time to sit around and ­allow this latest insult to fade from ­memory, it’s time for decisive action. This is a crucial moment in our fight for ­self-determination and has the potential to win it for us if we do it properly.

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There has been no significant change for good in history that has come easily or without the grit and determination of its support. I said it on Make Me Prime Minister, and I’ll say it again – the people of Scotland have the right to decide our own future and now is the time for us to claim that right.

In a true democracy, power belongs to the people. One thing we can be certain of, following this ruling, is that we can ­consider that power to be under direct threat here in Scotland.

There has never been a more pertinent time since our fight began, to get out on the campaign trail and do what we do best – the only ­people that can deliver ­independence, return power to the ­people and create the fair, equal and ­internationalist country that Scotland has the potential to be are the people who believe wholeheartedly in it.

So, let them have their day in the sun. Let them gloat, let them celebrate. Let them tweet Union Jack emojis until their hearts are content. For as long as they are preoccupied with their arrogance, we’ll be occupied with the mass mobilisation of our movement.