We thank Mike Small and Bella Caledonia for publishing our previous statement in full and for offering us this further opportunity to respond.We respect the passion that many bring to the cause of Scottish independence, even when we disagree on tactics or analysis.

Our alliance exists for one reason only: to advance the democratic case for restoring Scotland’s national sovereignty through independence. That remains our sole policy and our only focus.

We are a broad coalition of people who share that single objective. We do not require participants to agree on any other matter — whether migration, human rights conventions, climate policy, or anything else. Those are legitimate debates for a future independent Scotland, not preconditions for working together now to achieve the democratic mandate that independence requires.

We do not endorse or adopt the specific policy positions of any individual group or candidate within the alliance. Views expressed by Sovereignty, or by any other participant, on economic migration, the ECHR, or any other issue belong to them alone.

They are not Alliance policy, and we have no collective stance on them.We note the concerns raised about certain individuals and their past associations. However, we judge people by their commitment to peaceful, democratic progress towards Scottish independence — not by guilt through past associations or by attempts to label them in ways that shut down dialogue.

Our door remains open to anyone who prioritises Scotland’s right to self-determination above all else.

Scottish independence has always been a big-tent movement. It has succeeded historically when it has been inclusive and outward-looking, not when it has narrowed itself through purity tests. In these challenging times, with the independence cause needing renewed energy, we believe in building the widest possible coalition of democrats who want Scotland to take its place as a normal, self-governing nation.

We continue to focus our efforts on speaking directly to the Scottish people about why independence offers the best path to a fairer, more prosperous future — whatever our differences on secondary issues.

We wish all those involved in the independence movement well, and we hope that debate can remain respectful and focused on the shared goal that unites far more of us than divides us.