Kenny MacAskill: Holyrood 2026 election must be the independence election

THE strategy announced by John Swinney last week, far from reigniting the independence campaign, was simply cauld kale reheated.

What had been tried before and failed miserably was simply resurrected and declared to be the policy once again. One more heave for indy, apparently to be delivered by the same folk who have already failed lamentably to do so.

The referendum ship has sailed and won’t be returning under any UK Government in the foreseeable future. Now’s the time for all pro-independence parties to get behind a plebiscite election. That’s using the next democratic event, a concept accepted by the Supreme Court when giving its judgement on a referendum strategy.

Pro-independence parties declaring in their manifestos that the majority of votes cast for independence will be the mandate.

It’s time for action, not words; a clear strategy, not wishful thinking and for the Scottish people to be put in charge of their own destiny rather than continual pleading to Westminster.

No matter how many times you say, ‘Pretty Please’ and who does it and to whom, it’s just not going to work. John Swinney could get down on his bended knees and it still won’t happen so why is he doing so metaphorically, albeit not literally? The UK will still just say: “No, now is not the time, Jock, get back in yer box.”

Let’s recall that despite the repeated assurances of many senior SNP figures, Boris Johnson didn’t blink and nor have any of his successors. And what’s coming down the line at Westminster is even worse and won’t blink either. Indeed, it could get worse with even greater attacks upon our limited devolved powers and even on Holyrood itself.

The UK is sinking and it’s in danger of taking us down with it or even putting us under before it goes under itself. It’s therefore time to get out of the Union and to do that it means being in charge of our own destiny. We’ve got to make Holyrood 2026 an independence election.

At least this time though we’ve been spared “wheesht” for indy. Before it was alluded to and even suggested that there was a secret plan held somewhere by someone and containing the magic elixir. But as history showed, there was no plan, cunning or otherwise. Aside from that small mercy, there’s nothing new, but no doubt in due course we’ll all be told of the need for absolute loyalty, and we’ll be told to wheesht by the usual siren voices, even though they’ve no idea where they’re going, let alone what they’re doing.

We just can’t afford to go through all that pain again. People are suffering and hope is dying. Opinion polls are one thing, but sympathy needs converted into reality and folk need to see independence as possible and realisable – not just a good thing to have. Ask folk if they want a white Christmas and Scotland to win the World Cup and they’ll say yes. Ask them if they think it’s likely and they’ll say no.

This continued Neverendum is doing likewise with independence. Yes, they’d like to see it, but they don’t think it’s coming and just can’t see how it can be done given the Supreme Court decision and continued UK intransigence. Neither of those two factors are going to change yet that’s again put forward as the political strategy. Frankly, it’s utter mince.

Show them the how with a plebiscite election and the why then speaks for itself. The absurdity of a country which rejected Brexit being pulled out of the EU with all the harm and chaos. An energy-rich country with half its folk unable to heat their homes. A Britain which was to be a force for good colluding in a genocide and taking us perilously close to war.

Even more shamefully, a nation blessed with a second great natural bounty in renewables after the first offering of oil and gas facing the possibility of losing out yet again. As the turbines range offshore, ownership lies abroad and even the supply contracts – never mind the turbines – head similarly to foreign shores.

The tragedy is that the need was there and more importantly there was the opportunity and so it remains with both need and opportunity now heightened. The irony of the referendum defeat seeing a galvanising of the vote in 2015 which continued until the crash of 2024. Added to all that, there was opportunity aplenty.

Brexit was a political gift, as Boris Johnson was a walking political gaffe.

Yet rather than seizing the moment, that historic opportunity was allowed to pass. Instead, it was platitudes of one more heave and trust in us throughout all those years. What was most criminal was that even increasing limited powers was either forsaken or what was supinely accepted was both inadequate and indeed financially catastrophic.

We’ve had 10 wasted years, and our country is being laid waste to. The way to energise independence supporters is to give them something to vote for and nothing motivates them like the chance to vote for independence. That’s got to be real and tangible, not more warm words and wasted chances.

That’s why Alba are standing on the list and making independence core to that. Giving “the how” of a plebiscite election and “the why” of the perversity of an energy-rich land with so many folk in fuel poverty.

[This article was first published in The National on 21.07.25]