You're listening to a podcast from the BBC World Service. This is Hard Talk with me, Stephen Sacker.

Thanks for downloading this edition of the program. I do hope you enjoy it. Welcome to Hard Talk on

the BBC World Service with me, Stephen Sacker. My guest today has become a familiar voice in the UK

Parliament's House of Commons. And usually it's a voice

powered by indignation and righteous anger. Ian Blackford is the Scottish nationalist MP for a vast

tract of North Western Scotland and the leader of the SNPs 47 strong band of Westminster MPs. He is a prominent champion of the cause of

Scottish independence, a cause which represents one of the biggest challenges facing Prime Minister

Boris Johnson over the next five years. Now, back in 2014, Scotland voted by 55% to 45 to remain in the UK, and at the time it was billed as a

once-in-a-lifetime decision. But since then, Britain has left the EU against the wishes of a clear

majority in Scotland, and the SNP now argue that this material change in circumstance gives Scots

the right to another vote on independence. The S&P's grip on power in Scotland is currently

unassailable. So a protracted political standoff between Edinburgh and London seems inevitable. The nationalists have plenty of

passion, but do they have a winning strategy? Well, Ian Blackford joins me now. Welcome to Hard Talk.

It's a pleasure to be on with you, Stephen. Would it be fair to say that you and the SNP see Brexit as the moment of maximum opportunity for the independence movement?

Well, we certainly think that Scotland should be independent in any event, but Brexit does crystallise it.

And, you know, just hearing you saying there about leaving the European Union, it pains me even just to listen to you saying that. We don't accept that we should be out of the European Union. All my adult life has been as a citizen of Europe. I've worked in Europe. My son's worked in Europe. Our grandchildren are going to lose these automatic rights. And quite frankly, it's going to damage us economically, socially and culturally.

In many respects in Scotland we're lucky because there is a roadmap for us and that roadmap is by

Scotland becoming independent and becoming a member of the European Union in its own right.

The battle lines are drawn, aren't they, between you and the Boris Johnson government,

but it's plain that in terms of the commanding heights,

the high ground in this looming battle,

he's got those heights, you haven't.

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