This is the Guardian.

Today, as members meet for their annual conference in Aberdeen,

the Scottish National Party has a new leader

and a new strategy for independence.

Back in 2014, when 45% of Scottish voters said yes to independence,

the prospect of breaking from the United Kingdom felt closer than ever before.

But above all, thank you to Scotland for 1.6 million votes for Scottish independence.

A landslide victory for the Scottish National Party the following year built on that momentum,

and a second referendum on the question of independence seemed almost inevitable.

It was just a matter of time.

So I can confirm today that next week I will seek the procedure that will enable

the Scottish Parliament to legislate for an independence referendum.

But in recent years, things have taken a turn for the SMP.

Two of the party's former leaders, Alex Salmond and Nicholas Sturgeon,

have been embroiled in scandals for which they deny any wrongdoing.

Nonetheless, voters are switching off, and the party's popularity and its dominance of Scottish politics

is starting to wane.

Labour excitement hasn't subsided.

They've doubled their MPs in Scotland from 1 to 2 with a huge win with the SMP.

Certainly the mood in the Aberdeen this weekend has been

understandably a thing a lot more muted than previous conferences I've attended.

There has been this big debate on independence strategy,

...