Time for debate about our voice as a nation
As the dust settles on a dramatic winter election it is clear that, as the year draws to a close, Scotland stands at a crossroads and 2020 will bring further fundamental questions about our future; about how we see ourselves as a country and our place in the world.
Congratulations to Margaret Ferrier who reclaimed Rutherglen and Hamilton West for the SNP, the first result in a comprehensive victory for the party right across Scotland.
Margaret is a tireless worker and campaigner and will be a strong voice for the constituency.
I am looking forward to working with her alongside our strong team of councillors to ensure that constituents get the best possible assistance with the issues they bring to us.
It was also interesting to see former MP, Ged Killen, and other senior Labour figures accept the mandate that the people of Scotland have given to the SNP, to give Scotland the right to choose its own future in a referendum. We may not agree on the final destination, but it is commendable to see that some Labour politicians are willing to recognise that mandate.
Unfortunately, this insightful approach did not extend to the majority of Scottish Labour Party MSPs at Holyrood who, last week, voted against the Scottish Government’s referendum bill.
Of course, we accept that some who voted for the SNP at the General Election may not, yet, be convinced of the case for independence.
But the election put beyond reasonable argument our mandate to offer people in Scotland the choice.
Scotland made it clear it doesn’t want a Tory government, led by Boris Johnson, taking us out of Europe and down a path we haven’t chosen.
But that is the future we face if we don’t have the opportunity to consider the alternative of independence.
And it is a very different future to the one in prospect when Scotland voted No to independence in 2014.
There has been an inarguable material change in circumstances so, last week, the Scottish Government published the constitutional and democratic case for Scotland having that choice.
It is rooted in the principle of selfdetermination, and in the democratic mandate that exists for offering that choice afresh.
In a voluntary association of nations such as the UK, it cannot be in the interest of any part of it for our right to choose our own future to be conditional, time limited, or a one-off.
Nor is it right for it to be overridden by a Prime Minister, or a UK Government, we have resoundingly rejected at the ballot box.
It is a fundamental right of self-determination. So, 2020 will, undoubtedly, see more debate and discussion about our voice as a nation and our democracy.
But, for the next couple of weeks, I’m sure everyone will welcome some respite from these political issues, important though they are, and look forward to some quality time with family and friends.
To all my constituents, I wish you a peaceful Christmas and every best wish for the New Year.