THIS week in the Scottish Parliament we debated ‘Scotland’s Choice’ and the SNP’s attempts at forcing a second independence referendum on the Scottish people.

We debated the referendum for hours. Hours that weren’t spent talking about how we are going to tackle the attainment gap in our education system, or how we are going to reduce waiting times in our NHS, or how we are going to create jobs to boost the Inverclyde economy.

Nicola Sturgeon seems to have jumped the gun on this one.

It simply isn’t fair to hold a re-run of the 2014 referendum without having any idea what the outcome of Brexit might look like. Not only that, but in May we will have held no fewer than five elections in just three years in Scotland. 

With every election, the cogs that turn the wheels of our country slow down. I think that there is neither appetite nor justification for indyref 2.

The Scottish Conservatives made clear at the last election that they would always oppose a second referendum and stand up for Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom.

There are still huge issues in Scotland that the Scottish Government needs to address.

For example, a report released last week showed that Inverclyde had the highest suicide rate of any local authority in Scotland. The report cited inequality as a driving force of this.

So after nearly 10 years of the SNP in government in Scotland, the only thing they want to discuss in parliament this week is independence. That is not what I got into politics for. So much for getting on with the day job, Nicola?

Every minute wasted on Indy talk is time wasted ignoring the issues that people across Scotland really care about. The Named Person Scheme. Council tax rises whilst local services are cut. GP shortages across Scotland.

So I say to the SNP: I respect that we have differing views on the issue of Scottish independence, but people are sick and tired of your endless, opportunistic focus on it. 

You have a parliament to legislate in, a government to govern and a whole country to improve.

It won’t be long before people’s patience with you runs out. Mine already has.