Nicola's promise - an open letter

Dear Nicola,

I'm looking at your St. Andrew's Day appeal for funds, and I have to say I have some issues with it. Let's have a look at them.

Your top line says that this is an appeal for the "Holyrood 2021 Election Campaign Fund". So the donations are ring-fenced. But you'll know that £700,000 raised by two earlier ring-fenced appeals didn't appear in the party's financial accounts, leading to suggestions of criminal false reporting. Can you assure me that the new funds will be properly accounted for, and can I believe you if you do?

The top line also means that this letter sets out the basis on which I'm to donate. It's not the election manifesto, but it's a precursor of it: it presents your side of the bargain, the offer in return for which I'm to give you money. And it isn't impressive. I'm looking for indy in the first line, since that's the first item in the party's constitution, but indy isn't there.

Why then should I give you money? I read on a bit. "...a record of achievement of which we can all be super proud..." Hmm. Washy and insubstantial. Let's go on. "...the most important election in Scotland's history..." Yes, of course, even the squirrels in the trees know that, but why? Ah, here's the meat, here's the payload: "...the opportunity is ours to chart a way through the present crisis..." Oh, for pete's sake, you don't need an election for that! "...and deliver a better independent future for the nation." And that's it. We're at line 11 in a 15-line document, and we've finally got to the indy-word. And even now that we've got to it, it isn't even remotely plausible.

English is a lovely language which you handle well, Nicola, taking full advantage of its ability to say one thing while meaning another. "A better independent future" - a splendid phrase of course, but what does it mean? Does it mean, "A particular independent future that's better than any other independent futures"? Since there aren't any other independent futures, that's a pretty undistinguished offer. Or does it mean, "A better, independent, future", i.e. a future which is better, but only incidentally independent? That's not as inspiring as it might have been either. Whatever it means, independence as the driving force of the party's mission seems now to have finally driven off into the rain.

But not quite. There's a strap-line at the bottom, across the top of the payment slip: "Every £ takes Scotland closer to Independence" We've been getting closer...and closer...ever since you came to power six years ago in 2014. Are we nearly there yet?

The party I'll give money to, Nicola, and that I'll give my vote to in 2021 - both my votes - is the party whose election manifesto commits it to an action that challenges the UK over independence: the traditional throwing down of a glove. It needs to commit to a referendum by a named date, or (better) a declaration that Scotland is independent, which will be ratified by a subsequent referendum. Anything else is just taking the electorate for a ride, and you've done that for too long. It's time you went.

Yours for Scotland,

Derek Rogers