Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MP Angus MacNeil says there should be a Scottish independence referendum in the next year.

Speaking after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s launch of a fresh independence campaign today, Mr MacNeil said:

“Many people have told me that if it was known in 2014 of the Boris/ Brexit/ Westminster debacles that were to come, Scotland would have voted for independence and been in a much better situation now.

“Meanwhile we have the cost-of-living crisis, a clueless Chancellor and the money that was printed by the Bank of England to help the economy ending up in the hands of the already super-rich, making inequality worse.”

He continued: “We should, in the next year, have a referendum that will mean Scotland can choose and change its own government when Scotland chooses. This rather than having a Boris Johnson-type whom Scotland didn’t vote for or his Tory policies which are largely ignoring poverty or the increasing costs of living and even sending poor unfortunate refugees to Rwanda.

“There is a better way and Scotland cannot hesitate this time.  Similar and smaller neighbours in Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Ireland prove we would have a better country if we were independent like them.   All there is to fear is fear itself, and of course the stream of negative scare stories in some daily newspapers – which I hope people are wise enough to see through.

“Had we chosen independence in 2014 we certainly wouldn’t be thinking of going back now – we would have instead felt very lucky we were clear of the ongoing Westminster debacles.”

The Scottish Government has today published its opening documents in support of independence.

The document titled ‘Independence in the Modern World; Wealthier, Happier, Fairer: Why Not Scotland?’ is the first of a series of documents due to be published.