A COUNTRY OF OUR OWN

2685970092There’s just one year to go to the referendum and now is the time to up the passion and shout out about what we are hoping to achieve.

What we want is a country of our own. One run by Scots, for Scots and always in our interest. A nation with a Government we always vote for delivering the priorities we always choose.

We will run an independent Scotland better because we care more about Scotland. We, of course, care more about Scotland than the Westminster Tories and with independence we will never again have a Tory Government without our democratic consent. No more picking on our vulnerable and imposing years of austerity against our wishes. No more bedroom tax or Labour’s illegal wars and no more of Labour/Tory weapons of mass destruction defiling our beautiful country.

We know what independence is not about. We will keep the pound, the monarchy and retain our bilateral relationships. We will ease pretty seamlessly into our new independent status and the day after we secure our country for ourselves, our lives will be pretty much the same as the day before.

What will change is that all of this will be ours. Our nation will belong to us for the first time in over 300 years and nothing can be more exciting and transformative than that. We can change what we want and if things aren’t working, we can do things differently. It’s all in our own hands – with independence we are the masters of our own destiny. As the UK pulls in the direction of an alien and anti-Scottish UKIP agenda, we will make our own course, reflecting our own sense of community and our own values.

More than that, we will regain our national self respect and dignity. Scotland can stand tall in the world knowing that we are responsible for ourselves with no one else to blame for any mistakes we may make. We will be joining the world as an equal partner and we have a massive contribution to make. We are the Scotland that invented so much of the modern world and we will be an independent Scotland that has so much more to offer the world as a new independent and equal partner.

Our relationship with the rest of the UK will be improved. Our 300 years of British partnership is an important and crucial part of our Scots story and that will continue to inform us as we write our own new chapter. We will enjoy our British partnership as an equal partner and we will bring a new energy to that relationship.

This is our only chance. We may never again get this opportunity again. Let’s raise the passion. Let’s get excited. Let’s talk about the huge opportunities. A country of our own. The people of Scotland responsible for ourselves.