One million young Scots can shape our route to independence

The National

2 days ago

As an SNP MSP, I've seen firsthand how severely a failing political system can hold a nation back. Inaction and sticking with the status quo is not an option.
A million young Scots who were too young to vote in 2014 will be eligible to have their say by the end of the next Scottish parliamentary term.
They are growing up in a post-Brexit world defined by insular politics and broken international partnerships, and that will shape their decision-making. While nations around the globe are forging new alliances to tackle shared problems, the UK has chosen to turn inwards, leaving behind our place in Europe and the vital connections that came with it.
This isn't just a domestic issue; it's an international identity crisis.
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For our young people, it meant the immediate loss of the Erasmus programme and the severing of cultural and educational links.
Studying abroad became more difficult, young musicians from the Highlands and Islands had opportunities snatched away almost overnight and psychological connections to Europe and the rest of the world were diluted.
We're represented on the global stage by a government whose values often feel a million miles from our own; whether it's raising tuition fees for students in the rest of the UK or enabling human rights breaches across the world.
The choice for Scotland's youth is clear: do we want to be part of a country that builds walls, or one that builds bridges? Do we want to be part of a UK political system that seems incapable of taking climate change seriously, or do we want to seize our vast renewable energy potential and become a global leader in the just transition, playing our part in tackling this international danger?
The contrast with our Scottish Government's approach is stark. While we're held back from rejoining the international community, we've shown that we can govern with an outward-looking, progressive mindset on the issues within our control.
An independent Scotland would not just be a new nation; it would be a new voice on the world stage: a voice for co-operation, human rights and climate action.
We've heard the promises of 'change' so many times before. From one UK government to the next, we're told that a new policy here or a new spending plan there will be enough to fix things.
But this is an illusion we have to break. You can't solve a crisis with a quick fix, you don't get radical change by repainting the walls in Westminster and you can't build a fair society on a broken foundation.
The real, lasting progress that our generation needs won't come from opportunistic promises; it will only come when we have the power to change the foundations of our society and build a new, fairer system from the ground up.
This is why independence is not merely an option, it's an imperative. It's the only way for Scotland's young people to take their place in a global community that is crying out for progressive, internationalist leadership.
For the million of you now, or soon, eligible to vote, this is your moment. You have the power to turn your frustration with the current state of affairs into a force for global change. Let's not waste it.