Our country is at a crossroads
What a week this has been with the announcement by the First Minister that she will seek the authority of the Scottish Parliament to agree with the UK government the details of a section 30 order - the procedure that will enable the Scottish Parliament to legislate for an independence referendum.
The First Minister set out, clearly and concisely, the path that has taken us to this point and the plan that takes our country forward.
The Scottish Government has given the UK Government every opportunity to recognise and reflect the desires of the Scottish in terms of maintaining a continuing relationship with the Europe Union.
Those opportunities have been rebuffed at every turn, with Westminster showing no interest in listening to what any of the devolved administrations have to say on the matter.
It is clear that we are facing a hard Brexit and a Tory Britain and that is not the future I want for Scotland.
I am delighted that the First Minister has outlined a course of action which will give the people of Perthshire South and Kinross-shire a choice between Brexit Britain or an independent Scotland.
I hope that we can be allowed to discuss that choice in a mature, logical and reasonable manner that respects both facts and each other.
To those who claim that this is just the SNP‘pushing’ the independence agenda, I assure you that the Scottish Government will continue to do all it can to protect Scotland’s interests during the UK’s negotiations to leave the EU.
We remain ready to engage with the UK Government on the compromise proposals that we published in December 2016.
We have in good faith played a part in bilateral engagement with the UK Government mainly through the new Joint Ministerial Committee on European negotiations, bringing together Ministers from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
However, that forum has to date fallen far short of delivering a genuine exchange or a serious consideration of our interests.
We didn’t ask to be here.
But Scotland is at a hugely important crossroads.
At stake is the kind of country we want to be.
We cannot drift along for the next two years and hope for the best.
We face the real prospect of right-wing Tory governments until at least 2030 and being dragged out of the EU and Single Market with all the damage to our economy and society that will cause.
If Scotland can be ignored on an issue as important as our membership of the EU and the single market, then it is clear that our voice and our interests can be ignored at any time and on any issue.