A former SNP MP has delivered a blunt reality check to independence supporters, warning that the case for Scotland leaving the United Kingdom is far from settled in the minds of Scottish voters.
The remarks cut against a narrative that has gained traction in some pro-independence circles, where there is a growing belief that the argument has essentially been made and that a majority is simply waiting to be unlocked. That assumption, the ex-MP argues, is dangerous and could be holding the movement back.
The warning comes at a time when support for independence has been hovering in polling territory that shows a country genuinely divided. While Yes support has remained competitive since the 2014 referendum, it has not broken into the kind of sustained, commanding majority that would make a second vote a straightforward political demand.
The former MP, who spent years at Westminster arguing Scotland’s case, said the independence movement needs to stop telling itself what it wants to hear. Convincing the undecided voters who will ultimately decide any future referendum requires honest engagement, not the assumption that everyone just needs a nudge across the line.
This kind of internal criticism is not new within the SNP and the broader Yes movement, but it carries extra weight coming from someone who was part of the political project for so long. There is a difference between a critic on the outside taking shots and a former insider saying the movement needs to take a hard look at itself.
One of the core issues is that the economic case for independence remains a sticking point for many voters who are broadly sympathetic to the idea of self-governance but nervous about the practical realities. Questions around currency, public spending, and what an independent Scotland’s finances would actually look like have never been fully resolved to the satisfaction of enough people sitting on the fence.
The SNP has faced a turbulent period in recent years. The party lost ground at the last general election, losing a significant number of seats it had held for years. The post-Sturgeon era has brought fresh questions about direction, leadership, and whether the party can rebuild the coalition of voters it needs to make independence a realistic near-term prospect.
For the wider Yes movement, which includes the SNP but also Greens and various grassroots campaign groups, the challenge is to present a vision of independence that speaks to everyday concerns. Cost of living pressures, NHS waiting times, and economic anxiety are front of mind for most Scottish voters right now. The independence debate has to connect with those concerns rather than exist separately from them.
The former MP’s comments are essentially a call for the movement to do the hard work rather than assume the destination is already reached. Persuasion takes effort, and that means engaging seriously with the doubts people have rather than dismissing them or assuming they will eventually come around on their own.
Whether the current SNP leadership and the broader Yes movement takes that message on board remains to be seen. There are those within independence circles who will push back and argue that the political conditions, from Brexit to Westminster governance, have already shifted opinion enough. But polling consistently shows that is not quite the full picture.
Scotland remains a country where the constitutional question is never far from the surface. But as this former MP makes clear, wanting independence to be inevitable is not the same as making the case for it properly.
Honestly this needed saying ages ago. Too many folk just assume everyone’s on board when they’re clearly not. You actually have to make the case properly, not just shout louder at people who disagree.