Stronger together as equals

In the immediate aftermath of the election a lot has been said and written about the SNP's constitutional plans. It seems already that opposition politicians have not learnt many (or any) lessons from last Thursday's results.

While the SNP has got on with the job - as we said we would - of trying to add job-creating powers to the Scotland Bill, the same parties who said the SNP would be obsessed with a referendum have spent the past week obsessing about a referendum. Do those other parties not realise how strange this looks?

And, once parliament begins its work, the SNP will be getting on with the job of delivering on our various manifesto commitments. I am looking forward in particular to the new government taking forward our Scottish Futures Fund. This fund, with its five elements, has the potential to transform key areas of Scottish society with significant investment in creating opportunities for young Scots and tackling fuel poverty, among others.

But, back to the constitution. It has also been interesting to see the wider 'Unionist' response. Already there are indications that groups are being formed to make the 'no' case in the referendum. One, it seems, is to be called 'Stronger Together'. This emerging group (if it does ever emerge) is indicative of the problem facing the anti-independence cause - they will be arguing against independence in a way that ignores the reality of what independence would be. They will be attacking so-called separatism when separatism is not on the agenda.

As far back as 2007 Alex Salmond said the following:

"Independence will bring many opportunities for our nation, and with those opportunities also greater success and prosperity. And with independence I look forward to a new partnership with our neighbours in England - one where we will be equal partners, not surly lodgers.

In that new relationship the Queen would remain the Head of State in Scotland. The current parliamentary and political Union would become a monarchical and social union - United Kingdoms rather than a United Kingdom - maintaining a relationship first forged in 1603 by the Union of the Crowns.

Independence for Scotland in the 21st century would reflect the reality of existing interdependence: partnership in these Islands and more widely across Europe."

So what does this mean? Ultimately, that we will be stronger together, but as equals. Instead of an old Union based on the power politics of the 18th century, we will have a new, more modern partnership fit for this 21st century.

Independence will mean a relationship on these Isles that is brought up to date. It is a myth to suggest that the current arrangements are about a fair and equal partnership. Today, Scotland is subsidiary - in constitutional terms Westminster still calls the shots.  In the areas of policy that are supposedly shared - for example the welfare state - Scottish opinion has next to no weight in the decisions taken at Westminster. The scandalous and systematic defence underspend in Scotland provides another vivid illustration. It is 'one size fits all' under current arrangements, even if the UK way is a bad fit for Scotland.

Sometimes it is useful to visualise these things. For me the Union today is illustrated as follows:

Whereas independence becomes:

We are still connected, but in a different and more appropriate way.

There are two points to this. First, the independence illustration also reflects how many people in Scotland view themselves. Scottish first, British second and European third. In the important politics of identity, it is the independence offering that chimes with people's view of themselves.

And second, the Unionist defenders of the status quo will be attacking something that doesn't exist. Separatism may be a handy attack-phrase, but it is not what the SNP is proposing as even a quick examination of the various National Conversation papers and the independence white and green papers would demonstrate.

If Stronger Together is to be the rallying call for Unionism, it is a rallying call that will fail, because the SNP offering - stronger together as equals - has more resonance. With independence we'll be equal partners in Europe and equal partners on these Isles, on those many issues where we choose to work together.

As the SNP manifesto for the election says, at its most basic independence is the ability to take our own decisions. Does anyone doubt that an independent Scotland would choose to continue important partnerships with our nearest neighbour? For the 'no' side to pretend otherwise is their first strategic mistake. Once again they will be taking the Scottish electorate - the most sophisticated in Europe - for fools. And that is, quite simply, bad politics.