About Independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over the territory. The opposite of independence is the status of a dependent territory.
Scottish independence: How did we get here and what happens next?
...By Angus CochraneBBC Scotland NewsAlmost a decade on from the 2014 referendum, the SNP are going back to the drawing board in their bid to secure Scottish Independence...
Chris Mason: SNP leader Humza Yousaf struggling in political headwind
... Recent blows The SNP have dominated the Scottish contingent of MPs at Westminster in every general election since the Independence referendum in 2014...
How have Humza Yousaf's first 100 days as first minister gone?
... A broader debate over the SNP s core policy - Independence - has also flourished under Mr Yousaf...
Will Humza Yousaf's broad approach deliver Scottish independence?
... " At the time, Ms Sturgeon defined " winning" as securing at least 50% of the electorate s support for the SNP - and therefore for Independence - in a general election...
Ian Blackford to stand down as SNP MP at next election
... He added: " Having stood down as SNP Westminster leader, I have gone through a period of reflection as to how I can best assist the party and the cause of Independence - a cause I have campaigned for since joining the SNP as a teenager in the 1970s...
Where next for Scotland as the Nicola Sturgeon era ends?
... The Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson refused to recognise a pro-Independence majority in the Scottish Parliament - the accepted trigger for the first referendum in 2014 - as a mandate for a second vote...
SNP leadership: Voting opens as race enters final fortnight
... On Sunday, Mr Yousaf told the BBC he would and " any means necessary" so long as it was legal in order to secure Independence...
SNP leadership: Will faith turn the tide for Scottish independence?
... " My polling as it were is based on conversations with normal, ordinary people over the last seven months and to a person they say focus on the NHS, focus on the cost of living crisis, and focus on making the case for Independence...
Chris Mason: SNP leader Humza Yousaf struggling in political headwind
By Chris MasonPolitical editor
So often, we see politicians in one dimension.
That is as much a failing of journalism as it is of those who hold elected office.
The Ritual of the back and forth of scrutiny, vital as it is, can feel quite shallow.
Questions on the big topic of The Day from us reporters, and replies, often carefully rehearsed, some of which amount to actual answers.
But sometimes circumstance presents a moment where a leader is seen in three dimensions; the human behind any political façade exposed.
So it was on the Ninth Floor of a Glasgow hotel, with views over the Clyde, as Humza Yousaf , Scotland's First Minister , did a round of interviews ahead of his first Scottish National Party conference as leader.
As we sat down, he showed me a text message from his mother-in-law, Elizabeth El-Nakla, who is currently trapped in Gaza with her husband, seeing family.
Mrs El-Nakla could hear air strikes nearby. Earlier she had sent an emotional video message to Mr Yousaf and his wife, Nadia,
Having barely slept in days, Mr Yousaf kept nipping out to take more calls from family.
He told me that while Israel had a right to defend itself, its actions in Gaza " are going too far. "
His register, his tone, his demeanour were that of a husband, father and son-in-law worried, exhausted and powerless.
But we met principally to talk about his day Job - being Scotland's First Minister , at just The Point , after years of dominance of Scottish politics, things are getting rather turbulent for the SNP.
Just like the rest of us, The Signs of ageing for governments are inescapable.
The SNP have been in devolved Government in Scotland since 2007 - a huge stint in office.
It means they carry the baggage of their record. They insist they have much to be proud of.
But critics point to a struggling NHS, a wide educational attainment gap between the richest and poorest, and, despite recent improvements, the worst rate of death from drugs anywhere in Europe.
Recent blowsThe SNP have dominated the Scottish contingent of MPs at Westminster in every general election since the Independence referendum in 2014.
But now things appear to be changing.
Earlier this year, Humza Yousaf 's predecessor Nicola Sturgeon was arrested, as was her husband, the SNP's former Chief Executive Peter Murrell and its former Treasurer Colin Beattie .
All were released without charge as part of an ongoing investigation into The Party 's finances.
Last week, the SNP.
This Week , they, the latest illustration of the turmoil among The Party 's Westminster group.
Independence struggleAnd Labour now hope they can take a couple of dozen seats at least from the SNP at The General election.
The Government at Westminster has refused to grant another Independence referendum, despite there being majority support for one in the Scottish Parliament , something Independence supporters regard as an outrage.
It means, for now at least, the SNP have run out of road in securing another referendum and its political fortunes are appearing to shrivel.
For years The Party were dominant when, arguably, there were favourable conditions for those seeking to make the case for Independence .
There were several Conservative governments, which Scotland didn't vote for.
And there was Brexit, which Scotland didn't vote for either.
But, while opinion polls ebb and flow, there has never been evidence of consistent and sustained majority support for Independence across Scotland.
Mr Yousaf acknowledges this and acknowledges that making the positive case for Independence - rather than focusing on the perceived negatives of Westminster Government - will be key to changing that.
The big challenge he faces is trying to do this while the SNP walk into The Most gusty of political headwinds it has faced in years.
Scotland remains split down The Middle on the question of its constitutional future.
But with the Conservatives and Labour opposed to another Independence referendum, and the SNP looking like they might be going backwards politically, supporters of The Union have not been so optimistic in years.
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com