FIRST Minister Humza Yousaf's independence strategy has "reinvigorated" the party, SNP MSP Kaukab Stewart has said.
On the latest episode of The National’s Holyrood Weekly podcast, the Glasgow Kelvin MSP said the SNP’s independence strategy will be “well thrashed out” by the party’s October conference.
We previously told how Humza Yousaf set out his stall to SNP members in Caird Hall in Dundee last weekend, and even put together a special podcast episode from inside the event.
Now that MSPs have had time to digest the route put forward by their leader, Stewart said that she was looking forward to a summer of “healthy” debate at the party’s regional assemblies.
“My initial reaction is that it reinvigorates, it puts independence back front and centre of what we're trying to achieve, because, obviously we've had knockbacks with Westminster's interference, and I dare say people were feeling a wee bit disheartened,” Stewart told the podcast.
“The First Minister taking the opportunity at the convention, to lay out a clear path – this is meant to be a voluntary Union.
“I suppose my take on it is that we're using the Plan A referendum, I mean, that would be the gold star way of doing it but that has been denied to us.
“The other route is through the election because that's the democratic way.
“Either way we're using the two options that are available to us in a democratic manner, and I think that's a good thing.”
Stewart said that it’s “really important” to allow members to come together and talk about the party’s strategy ahead of the next General Election.
“I think it's really, really important to give the membership a voice because we do have people who have opinions that are based on experience, on strategy, and they can bring that to the table, and people feel included,” she added.
“That's the important thing, because an independent Scotland, the one that I'm fighting for, includes everybody and everybody's voices.”
The SNP MSP added that some regional assemblies are set to have guests from the wider Yes movement attend the summer assemblies.
“I think [it] is very inspiring to have all those different voices.
“So this isn't an internal-looking SNP, it's actually outward-looking, and who knows, but ultimately, you'll be aware that we have conference in October, and that's where we will have the final decision.
Stewart backed Yousaf during the SNP leadership contest earlier this year
“The motion that goes forward at that point, I will be satisfied that over the summer it will have been well thrashed out by then.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Stewart discusses the Elect Her event in the Scottish Parliament, held on the same day as the SNP’s independence convention, and her work as convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, which is currently undertaking an inquiry into provisions for asylum seekers and refugees living in Scotland.
Later, political reporter Abbi Garton-Crosbie is joined by Judith Duffy, chief political reporter at the Sunday National, for a look back over a busy parliamentary year as MSPs gleefully head off into summer recess.
You can listen to Episode 27 of Holyrood Weekly below on The National’s website, on Spotify and the Omny streaming platform.
