By Rab Bruce’s Spider

As some had predicted and many had feared, Nicola Sturgeon’s long-awaited statement was extremely underwhelming. It leaves us no further forward and has done little more than tell the Tories that the SNP have no real plans for what to do next except keep asking politely for permission to hold IndyRef2.

Many of the posts on this site have mentioned the hope that Nicola Sturgeon really did have some cunning plan, but it seems the doubters were right all along. I fear Ms Sturgeon has made a serious mistake in following this softly, softly, long-term approach to gaining independence. Not because being canny is necessarily a bad thing, but because it takes no account of the fact that she is dealing with Westminster Tories who, having seen what Donald Trump has got away with, will use every dirty trick in the book to keep Scotland captive within their precious Union. If anyone should know that the Tories cannot be trusted, it is Nicola Sturgeon, yet she seems determined to play by the rules while her opponents abandoned any adherence to rules long ago.

So, like many other Yessers, I’m very disappointed. However, that doesn’t mean I’m chucking my toys out of the pram and refusing to have anything to do with the SNP any more. I’d certainly be very interested if another explicitly pro-Indy Party were to be formed as hinted at by Wings Over Scotland some time ago, but the reality is that, even though the SNP have repeatedly let us down when it comes to IndyRef2, they are currently the only political Party who can achieve the goal. If we fail to support them, you can bet that the Unionist media will crow about a loss of support, and the Tories will bang on even more about there being no support for independence. We cannot afford to let that happen. If it does, our chances are gone for good.

And let’s not forget that, for all their faults, the SNP are protecting Scots from many of the evils of Westminster policies. How long they will be able to do that remains to be seen, but they are running Scotland pretty well all things considered.

Sadly, I must now admit what I’ve been saying privately for some time. I honestly don’t think Scotland will become a normal, self-governing country in my lifetime. We had our chance in 2014 and we blew it. The Tories cannot afford to let us go, and the SNP’s timid approach is only going to allow Westminster to do more and more harm, both to us and the whole of the UK.

But, while that may sound defeatist, it doesn’t mean I’m giving up. You don’t stop fighting for a just cause just because you think you are losing. Scotland should be an independent country. Self-governance is normal, and we must continue to push the case even if the ultimate target now seems a long way off.