The case for Scotland’s independence can’t just be about economics.
Of course the economics matter. People need to know what independence means for wages, pensions, public services and household finances. Those arguments need to be credible and stand up to scrutiny.
But nobody falls in love with a fiscal projection.
A spreadsheet might explain why independence would work. It doesn’t explain why it matters.
That’s the bit we sometimes forget.
Independence is about something much more human: who we are, where we’re going and what kind of country we want to build.
We saw a pretty good example of that this week.
Leaders from Scotland, Wales and the North of Ireland came together in Cardiff. The SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin signed a memorandum committing to greater cooperation and recognising the right of each nation to determine its own future.
There was something genuinely powerful about seeing the three nations together. The old surly lodgers seemed to be saying: we can stand on our own two feet - and we can work together as equals.
And look at what happened afterwards.
Independence supporters were talking about it. High-profile influencers picked it up. International news outlets covered it. Suddenly the push for independence was reaching millions of people online and appearing in conversations and places I haven’t seen at this scale since 2014.
That didn’t happen because someone produced a better spreadsheet.
It happened because the moment made people feel something.
That’s the lesson.
We need to make the economic case. We need to answer difficult questions honestly and have credible plans for the country we want to build.
But we also need to give people hope. A sense of possibility. Something to believe in.
Show people a Scotland that is confident, modern and outward-looking. A Scotland that can stand on its own two feet while building stronger relationships with the rest of the world. And a Scotland that won’t suffer fools gladly.
People don’t give their time, energy and hope to a movement because of a GDP forecast.
They do it because they believe a better Scotland is possible - and they want to be part of making it happen.
They don’t just want to be led there. They want to help build it. And there’s power in our creativity, our numbers, and our diversity.
The case for independence needs to convince your head.
But if we want to build a movement that genuinely inspires people, it needs to move your heart too.
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Originally published by The National newspaper.