Image – Jocelyn Dellar CC
We now have the Judgement of the Supreme Court. It has ruled that the Scottish Government is not permitted to hold a referendum on Independence.
When it is not possible for the people of Scotland to determine the future of Scotland, we all lose, irrespective of how any of us might have voted. To give responsibility to decide the future of our country to a parliament in which Scotland is represented by 59 out of 650 MPs, is anti-democratic.
A Union that we are unable to even ask if we wish to remain in is not a union of equals but one of compulsion.
We did not choose Brexit, but it was still foisted upon us. Scotland constantly rejects a compassionless Conservative government, yet despite our votes we have that as well.
We are denied the right to choose our own future; to choose a different path to one of austerity, that punishes people for being poor and demonises anyone trying to escape war, famine or human rights abuses.
UK Government policy disproportionally impacts women. I know many women are facing hard choices between their children being warm or being able to eat, others feel trapped in abusive relationships by rising living costs and our state pension is among the lowest of any developed economy.
Without Independence we can’t change any of this and we remained shackled to a UK Government that does not share our values and ignores our choices.
We need to reach across the political divide, and we do this by continuing to make the feminist case for independence. Together, we really can build the country we want to live in.
In Scotland the people are sovereign and it’s time to make our voices heard; to stand up for democracy.
It’s time to be a nation once again!
Zara Pennington is a WFI National Committee member, a politics student and an activist. She lives in Shetland and successfully campaigned to open participation in Up Helly Aa to everyone, ending generations of discriminatory practice.