Alba Party leader Kenny MacAskill has accused the First Minister of abandoning Scotland’s independence momentum, urging that the 2026 Holyrood election be used as a plebiscite on independence.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr MacAskill said John Swinney had shifted from “a Claim of Right to a right to claim” after comments made earlier in the day.
MacAskill argued that Scots face immediate crises which make the need for independence urgent.
“Like many independence supporters I’m deeply disappointed in what I heard from the First Minister earlier this morning,” he said.
“We’re in Autumn.
“There is now a chill in the air.
“We’re an energy rich country and yet many of our people are fearing the arrival of winter because they are unable to heat their homes.
“The time is now and action needs to be taken.”
He pointed to the closure of Grangemouth refinery as a stark example of Scotland’s economic vulnerability.
“We’ve just seen the closure of Grangemouth refinery with a huge impact not just on central Scotland but upon the entire Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of our nation,” he added.
MacAskill insisted that the Westminster route to a second referendum was closed, and that independence must be pursued through other means.
“So the need is now but we seem to have gone under John Swinney from a Claim of Right to a right to claim,” he said.
“The opportunity to yet again ask Westminster when we already know what the answer is going to be.
“We’ve been down that road.
“The referendum route is closed off to us.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear only Westminster can provide a referendum but the Supreme Court did make it clear that other democratic events could be used.”
“That’s why we have to use the 2026 Holyrood Election as a plebiscite election, using the list vote as a list vote for independence and the Alba Party will be standing in that election as the Alba Party and a vote clearly for Scottish independence.”
MacAskill said the SNP’s strategy amounted to repeating the same request and receiving the same rejection.
“We cannot continue to go on as we are.
“We cannot continue to ask the same question only to get the same answer.
“We were told that Boris would blink and he didn’t.
“There is going to be no change coming from Sir Keir Starmer.”
He called on independence supporters to revive the energy of the 2014 referendum campaign.
“That is why Scotland has to take its destiny into its own hands,” he said.
“We have got to get back the momentum from 2014 and we’ve got to remember that Alex Salmond made us walk tall.
“John Swinney is in danger of making us think small.”
“The time has come to seize the moment and to make it a plebiscite election and to get that push for the independent nation to give us the country our people need and are entitled to.
“Let’s get on with it.”
