FIRST Minister John Swinney has set out a three-point plan for achieving Scottish independence – insisting that a democratic referendum is part of the way forward.
In an exclusive op-ed for The National, the SNP leader said it was time for Scotland to “take our future into our own hands”.
Swinney said that building support for independence, upping the pressure on Westminster to allow Scotland to assert its right to choose through a democratic referendum, and urging the public to vote [[SNP]] at the election would form the three prongs of his strategy.
The National understands that the First Minister did not consult with the grassroots independence movement while drawing up his strategy.
Setting out his plan to achieve Scottish independence, Swinney said that the Holyrood 2026 election campaign will seek to “build the highest levels of support possible for independence as the best future for Scotland”.
This will involve telling independence supporters that they were correct in their assessment that Westminster was “fundamentally broken” and “now it is time to do something about it”.
“But I will also be urging people who were not persuaded of the merits of independence in 2014 to see the state of Britain today and take a different view,” Swinney added.
He said the [[SNP]]’s election campaign will focus on the benefits of independence “so that we can ensure our vast energy wealth delivers tangible [[benefits]] for our people, including lower household energy bills and a more competitive business environment”.
“So that we can create a dynamic, internationally connected economy, ensuring opportunities for all in an economy that works for all,” Swinney added.
(Image: PA) The First Minister said he will also seek to build “public pressure around Scotland’s fundamental national rights”, by “turning up the heat” on Westminster’s anti-democratic stance.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has repeatedly said he would not give the go ahead for a second independence referendum.
Swinney insisted that the referendum route is “the correct means to bring about that independence”.
“And have no doubt, such a democratic, constitutional approach is necessary if our independence is to achieve domestic and international legitimacy,” he adds.
“Something that is essential if we are to receive international recognition and a smooth return to membership of the EU.”
And thirdly, that an “emphatic win” for the SNP at the Holyrood 2026 election is the way to secure independence.
“History tells us that only when the SNP is doing well is there any prospect of advancing on Scotland’s constitutional cause,” Swinney said.
“During the next parliament we reach the point where there will be one million people eligible to vote who, last time around, were too young to do so or not even born.
“A generation has now clearly passed.”
Swinney has faced internal party criticism over his approach to independence since becoming SNP leader and First Minister in 2024.
Recent polling has shown support for [[Scottish independence]] remains high, while support for the [[SNP]] itself has been dropping. The party has seen a small boost in the polls following Labour taking power in [[Westminster]], but recently lost the Hamilton by-election to Sarwar's party despite that.
We told how the SNP’s left-wing pushed back against “seeming inertia” in the party bureaucracy on its independence strategy.
Swinney’s approach to uniting Yes supporters behind the SNP at the next election has not come as a surprise, with the party declining to commit to a constitutional convention with other pro-independence parties.
The National asked leading pro-independence thinkers to respond to the First Minister’s approach.
Common Weal's Robin McAlpine was doubtful the strategy would be successful, and described it as "based on fantasies", while Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp argued that if the SNP did achieve a mandate for a second referendum, it would be ignored.
Columnist Ruth Wishart argued that "patience is not unlimited" for supporters of independence, while Jonathon Shafi described the strategy as "word soup".
Meanwhile, Lesley Riddoch argued that without putting independence as the first line and first page of the SNP's Holyrood manifesto, then Swinney's strategy will "mean nothing".
You can read the full response here.