Why This Must Start With the People

One of the most common questions about this constitutional project is:

“Isn’t it too early to write a constitution before Scotland has voted for independence?”

The short answer is: no — in fact, it’s essential.

This work must begin now because elected politicians are bound by the current system, and that system denies Scotland the right to decide its own future.

What the Law Says — and Doesn’t Say:

At present, no formal vote has yet established a majority in favour of independence in the eyes of the UK state. The 2014 referendum result is still used as the last “official” expression of the Scottish people’s will — and since then, no equivalent, binding vote has taken place.

This is the legal and political bind:

Even if polling shows a growing majority in favour of independence, it is not considered “proven” unless expressed in a formal vote. Some political figures — even those sympathetic to independence — argue that they are obliged to wait until a clear majority votes for independence again.

That means they cannot (yet) act on your behalf.

But Private Citizens Can.

Those of us outside the institutions of government — ordinary citizens, campaigners, legal minds, organisers — are not bound by that same constraint. We are not held back by the rules of devolution, or by Westminster’s refusal to allow a vote. That is why this work must come from us.

If the people begin the process now — drafting a constitution, convening a preliminary national assembly, and creating the foundations of a sovereign Scottish state — then, when the formal vote does come, the structures will already exist.

We will not have to scramble for legitimacy. We will already have it.

And, perhaps most importantly, we will save future leaders and governments time, effort, and constitutional uncertainty — because the blueprint for self-government will be complete.

A Constitution Is Not a Reward — It’s a Right.

Scotland doesn’t need to wait for permission to write its constitution. That’s not how sovereignty works.

In fact, by writing the constitution, we express sovereignty. We affirm that it belongs to the people, not to any external parliament or monarch. It is a declaration of democratic readiness — and the start of self-rule, not the end of it.

This is why the constitution must come before the next vote.

Because that vote — whether plebiscite, referendum, or Holyrood majority — must be backed by a plan. It must say not only what we want, but how we’ll govern ourselves once we win it.

And that is the work we are doing now. As a nation.