NICOLA Sturgeon has insisted independence will allow Scotland to “aim higher and do better” than the UK as she raised expectations for a second vote on independence.

The First Minister made the comments on Twitter as she responded to an article shared on social media which suggested that it is time to “bury the pipe dream” of another referendum.

“It takes pretty skewed logic to look at Brexit and the general direction of the UK just now and reach this conclusion,” Sturgeon said.

“On the contrary, independence offers Scotland the opportunity to aim higher and do better.”

It takes pretty skewed logic to look at Brexit and the general direction of the UK just now and reach this conclusion. On the contrary, independence offers Scotland the opportunity to aim higher and do better. https://t.co/KP3qB5kvVw — Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 3, 2019





The SNP leader is yet to announce the timing of indyref2 and she announced before Christmas that she would wait “until the dust settles” after a meaningful Westminster vote on Brexit.

Her latest comments, however, will encourage Yes activists across the country, who have already been preparing for a second referendum.

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Yet not everyone was encouraged to read the First Minister’s tweet.

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: “Brexit has demonstrated precisely how difficult it is to negotiate a deal to leave a close political union between nations.

“When you see how hard it is to leave the EU, just imagine the upheaval of leaving the UK; a 300-year-old union compared to a 45-year one; and one which is significantly more entwined.”

The former Labour MP added: “Our trade with the rest of the UK is worth four times our trade with the EU and Scottish independence would be eight times as costly as the worst-case Brexit.

“The majority of people in Scotland know that we are better off together with a shared culture and history we can build our future on.

“Nicola Sturgeon needs to accept reality and she should take the threat of a divisive second independence referendum off the table.”