SNP members have warned party bosses to spend "less time fixating on Westminster" and instead answer questions from Scots who remain sceptical about independence.
In a rare example of dissent within the SNP ranks, activists gathered at a hotel in Aberdeen away from the party conference to discuss how to kick-start the stalled campaign for ending the Union.
Blocked motion sparks gathering
The Independence campaign group was launched after a motion supported by more than 50 SNP branches was blocked by party chiefs from being debated from the conference hall.
The rejected motion had argued that undecided voters have concerns about issues such as the economy, pensions, mortgages, currency, household finances and public spending.
Former policy convener's warning
Toni Giugliano, a former SNP policy convener, told the meeting: "For 12 years, we have convinced ourselves that the key to unlocking Scotland’s future lies in Westminster.
"And it’s simply not true. Countries don’t become independent by waiting for permission. They do so when support becomes unstoppable and when a national consensus for change is built.
"And delegates, that’s entirely within our gift.
"We need to spend less time fixating on Westminster and more time building the alternative. We simply can’t rely on Westminster’s failures to do our job for us.
"Brexit. Austerity. The closure of our only oil refinery. The WASPI women. The winter fuel payment. The PPE contracts. The bedroom tax. Illegal wars.
"People know Westminster is failing them. But our job is to convince them independence can deliver something better."
Lessons from 2014
He added: "Over the last 12 years, we haven’t done enough to answer those questions and shift the dial.
"In 2014, we made mistakes. I wish we were more honest about that. We asked Scotland to take a leap of faith. We proposed a currency union with the British institutions we were trying to leave, and suggested pensions would be determined by future negotiations.
"We cannot repeat those mistakes. How is it possible that, 12 years on, the Yes movement still can’t agree which currency Scotland will use on day one of independence?
"People aren’t interested in three different answers depending on who they ask. They want clarity.
"Different parties will have different visions of independence in their manifestos. No one doubts that. But we owe the people of Scotland certainty on the essentials."
