There is something that really doesn’t sit right with me about receiving an email from the SNP this evening, proudly telling me that the Scottish Government has published a draft Independence Referendum Bill as one of the commitments it promised to deliver within its first 100 days of government. It’s not because I think Scotland’s constitutional future doesn’t matter. Of course it matters. And it’s not because people shouldn’t be allowed to talk about independence or have another referendum if that’s what the people of Scotland ultimately want. They should. My issue is much more basic than that. It’s about priorities.
On 25 February 2026, the Scottish Government announced a statutory public inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation. Professor Alexis Jay was appointed to chair the inquiry, and the Government said that the detailed terms of reference would be developed with her involvement.
We’re now six months down the line, and survivors and the wider public are still waiting to see those terms of reference. I understand that setting up a public inquiry isn’t something you can do overnight. I understand there are discussions that need to take place, decisions that have to be made and a proper process that has to be followed. Nobody is asking for a serious inquiry to be rushed just for the sake of it. But there has to come a point where people are entitled to ask why they’re still waiting for some basic answers.
The Government has said that work has been happening behind the scenes. There have been discussions around the scope of the inquiry, staffing, premises and other practical matters, and Professor Jay has been involved in developing the work. I don’t dispute any of that. But six months is still six months, and survivors shouldn’t have to sit quietly and wait while politicians get on with whatever they think is more important.
And then today we get the announcement of the draft Independence Referendum Bill.
Now, let’s be clear about something. I’m not saying that independence is a ridiculous subject, or that it shouldn’t be discussed. I’m not saying people who support independence are wrong. I’m not even saying that Scotland should never have another referendum. People are perfectly entitled to have whatever view they want on that. What I am asking is why this particular issue has been given such a clear political timetable, while people who have suffered some of the most horrific abuse imaginable are still waiting for the Scottish Government to tell them exactly what this inquiry is going to look at.
We’re told that this referendum Bill is one of the commitments the Government promised to deliver within its first 100 days. Fair enough. They’ve delivered it. But governments have choices about what they make a priority. They choose what gets political attention, what gets announced, what gets pushed forward and what gets put on the back burner. So, when I see an independence referendum Bill being delivered within that 100-day period, while the terms of reference for a statutory inquiry announced six months ago are still not in the public domain, I’m sorry, but I think it’s completely reasonable to question that.
Because we’re not talking about some minor administrative issue here. We’re talking about survivors of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation. We’re talking about people who have already spent years trying to be listened to, trying to get answers and trying to get somebody to properly acknowledge what happened to them. Some of these people have been waiting for justice for a very long time. They shouldn’t have to wonder whether their issue has been pushed further down the list because there are other political priorities that the Government would rather talk about.
And this is where I think politicians sometimes lose touch with ordinary people. If you’re sitting at home, struggling with your own life, your own bills, your own family and whatever else you’ve got going on, hearing another announcement about independence can quite easily leave you thinking, “Is this really what we’re dealing with right now?” There are people in Scotland who can’t get a GP appointment, people struggling to pay their rent and heat their homes, people waiting for services, and survivors waiting for answers about abuse that has had a devastating impact on their lives. Yet the political conversation keeps getting dragged back towards the constitution.
That’s not to say those other issues don’t matter. They obviously do. But I think there needs to be a bit of perspective. You can believe passionately in Scottish independence and still say, “Hang on a minute, what about the people who are waiting for this inquiry?” You can be a supporter of the SNP and still expect the Scottish Government to be held to account. And you can support the Union and still recognise that survivors deserve justice. These things aren’t mutually exclusive.
For me, the question isn’t, “Why are you talking about independence?” The question is, Why does independence seem to have a 100-day timetable while survivors are still waiting six months later to find out what the inquiry that was announced on their behalf is actually going to do?
If the Scottish Government can make a commitment about a referendum and then stand up today and say, “We’ve delivered it within our first 100 days,” then I think it’s fair to ask when we’re going to get the same urgency for survivors. When are we going to see the terms of reference? When are survivors going to be told exactly what will be investigated? When will they know what questions will be asked and how their voices will be heard?
Because, ultimately, this isn’t about whether you’re Yes or No. It isn’t about whether you voted for the SNP or somebody else. It isn’t even really about independence. It’s about whether we, as a country, are prepared to keep our promises to people who have already been failed badly enough.
We’ve heard plenty of promises over the years. We’ve heard words like “justice”, “accountability” and “survivors at the heart of the process”. Those words sound good, but people don’t need more nice words. They need to see something actually happen.
So yes, let’s have the arguments about Scotland’s future. If there is another referendum, people can have their say. That’s democracy. But while politicians are busy arguing about what country Scotland should be in five, ten or twenty years’ time, there are people here and now who are still waiting for answers about what happened to them.
Those people have already waited long enough. Give them the same urgency. Publish the terms of reference. Let them know what happens next. And, just for once, make sure the people who have been waiting the longest aren’t the ones who get pushed to the back of the queue.