Seven years ago today Scotland voted to remain in the European Union. Every single council area in the country voted to Remain, with almost two-thirds of Scots rejecting Brexit. But voters in England and Wales chose to leave, so Scotland - against its will - was dragged out of the EU.
Scotland lost access to the world's largest single market, our citizens lost their right to freedom of movement across the continent, our younger generations lost their ability to study abroad through financial schemes like Erasmus+, our farmers lost their entitlement to millions of pounds of funding, and our health and social care service lost thousands of workers.
But Scotland isn't just counting the cost of what was lost when we were dragged out the EU by Westminster. We're also dealing with the added strain of empty supermarket shelves, soaring costs at the checkout, rocketing household bills and economic damage that's driving down the value of wages.
Scotland didn't vote for this. But Westminster doesn't care. The public won't forgive the Tories for imposing their hardline Brexit on our workers, businesses and industries. The damage they have inflicted on our economy is, in many respects, irreparable.
But perhaps less forgivable is the silence from Sir Keir's Labour Party, which has become a born-again Brexiteer. The Labour Party has chosen to abandon working-class communities, who have suffered acutely from this economic vandalism, and instead side with the right-wing Tories on Brexit.
The devastating impact of Brexit has been laid bare this week by the Daily Record's Broken Brexit series. But instead of accepting reality, and working to reduce economic harm, Labour is now championing Brexit.
With the Tories and Labour now locked in a battle to be Brexit's top cheerleader - there is no route back into the European Union while Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom. If we are to begin the process of reversing the impact of Brexit, Scotland must escape the broken Westminster system and chart our own course.
With the full powers of independence, Scotland can rejoin the European Union, regaining access to the European Single Market, which is seven times bigger than the UK market. Important Scottish industries like farming, hospitality, and tourism will enjoy the benefits and financial support of EU membership as they did before 2016.
But an independent Scotland will go even further to build a fairer, more progressive nation that places the interests of workers and local businesses, ahead of big corporations, at the heart of its wellbeing economy .
Earlier this week, I launched the Scottish Government's proposals for an independent Scotland to have a written constitution that would protect our NHS from privatisation and enshrine workers' rights in law.
Almost all modern democracies, including all 27 EU member states, have a written constitution. It's time Scotland did too.
With independence we can shape our own future as a thriving European nation. This Saturday, SNP members in Dundee will come together to discuss how we make this positive vision Scotland's reality.
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