LIKE many of your readers/contributors, I just want Scotland to become an independent nation, to at least try to give our children the chance of a far better future.

I keep hearing people express their doubts that Nicola Sturgeon actually wants independence. This is very interesting indeed. I have huge respect for her as I think she shines like a beacon in a sea of corruption when placed amongst the crooks in the UK political sphere, and her reputation globally seems to grow by the day.

What I don’t understand, though, is why she and her party told Scots to give both their votes at the recent Scottish elections to the SNP, as in doing so she without doubt lost anything up to 25 extra indy-supporting seats. Was this a personal vendetta between her and Alex Salmond or was this to ensure the SNP were not held to account over their apparent lack of work on getting indyref2 confirmed?

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It is very worrying indeed, as if it was for either or both reasons it was an amateur, petulant, childish mistake, and in doing so she has basically given at least two dozen Unionist MSPs – many of whom got so few votes they are almost completely off the radar – seats in Holyrood, where they instantly become thorns in her side. Does she prefer this to having many more MSPs pushing for independence? The question really has to be asked.

Another thing that really flabbergasts me is the First Minister has never appeared at any of the massive All Under One Banner marches for independence. Surely any leader worth their salt would be on the podium giving out their message and thanks to the tens of thousands of foot soldiers, her soldiers, who are the very backbone of the independence movement?

If you look back in history, every single leader worth their salt was on the podium delivering their message to the masses at every available opportunity. When Ireland was striving to break free from colonial rule, such was the clamour to hear their leaders speak that many rallies were banned by the British state amid rumours upwards of a quarter of a million were attending!!!

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This is the power Nicola Sturgeon has, and she simply does not use it. It will not last forever. Rightly or wrongly, she has the power to add tens of thousands of attendees to these events, and people would leave afterwards full of vim and vigour, and spread the word even more, which would only result in even bigger crowds. It is yet another huge opportunity wasted.

If she is worried what the BBC and Unionist press may say regarding her appearing, then that is a huge mistake as they rubbish her for absolutely everything at every opportunity. But by not appearing at these events she is basically rubbing the indy movement’s nose in the mud and showing a huge lack of respect to the ever-growing movement that backs her and backs independence.

All across Scotland there are hundreds of thousands of hard-working people who are fed up to the back teeth with decades of completely and utterly shameful treatment from Westminster’s crooked ruling elite. They are looking and hoping for something better, but many are far from convinced that switching their vote to Yes is the answer, as instead of seeing a First Minister and party shouting from the rooftops about what people want and need to hear, all they seem to be hearing and seeing is an internal war about this poisonous, seemingly eternal GRA issue which is a genuine, self-inflicted, ticking time-bomb that could very easily be enough for the SNP to lose indyref 2, as people need to see them as a serious political party that puts the big issues to the forefront,

There will never be another opportunity in any of our lifetimes if Nicola Sturgeon and her party blow this absolutely golden opportunity to give our children at least the chance of a far, far better, nuclear-free future.

Iain K
Dunoon