Scottish independence supporters must offer voters a message of "hope" in the New Year, a former Yes campaign boss has said.
Blair Jenkins, chief executive of the pro-indy side at the 2014 referendum, insisted Scots still wanted changes in how society and the economy are run - but warned there was no sign these would be achieved by Westminster.
He told the Record that independence supporters should look beyond the recent Supreme Court ruling and instead work on a positive case to convince undecided voters.
Nicola Sturgeon's plan to hold an IndyRef2 in October 2023 was scuppered when judges in London ruled that such a referendum could only be staged with prior approval from the UK Government.
Rishi Sunak and his predecessors in Downing Street have repeatedly refused to sanction another vote on independence and insist the result of the 2014 vote must be respected.
But a series of opinion polls carried out in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict in November have suggested an uptick in support for ending the Union.
Jenkins said: "There has definitely been a reaction to the Supreme Court verdict.
"It looks like what it is - an obstruction of democracy in Scotland. That's not the court's fault as they were providing an interpretation of the current law.
"But it's unacceptable that Westminster can obstruct what is a very clear democratic mandate in Scotland."
Jenkins, a former head of news at BBC Scotland, was appointed chief executive of the cross-party Yes Scotland campaign in 2012.
He worked closely with senior SNP politicians in the run-up to the 2014 vote which saw the No side win by 55 per cent to 45 per cent.
But Jenkins said Brexit had since fundamentally shifted the nature of the arguments for and against independence.
"I think next year has to be about giving people more hope. Since Brexit, it has felt like the UK has been breaking down," he said.
"And the only way to escape from Brexit is independence.
"What I want to start talking about now is how you can give people hope. People want change.
"I don't think there is any sign of real change, in how society or the economy works, coming out of London.
'As far as Scotland is concerned, Westminster is out of touch and out of time.
"That's the debate I want to have in the coming year. We have not really been discussing the case for independence and how it can offer people a better life, which is what it is about."
Jenkins accepted Labour was in a strong position to win the next UK general election but warned history suggested it would not be long before the Tories returned to power.
"There is a reason why Tony Blair is the only Labour leader born in the last 100 years to be able to win a UK election.
"No one is saying you can't a Labour government once in a mile - but we could see four years of a Labour government and then we'll go back to the default position in the UK, which is a Tory government."
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