Although Anne and Hollie’s as yet unresolved issues continue to be matters of concern in both Scotland and throughout the UK, as must be clear they can be no part of any pre-referendum debate, being separate to and beyond political matters.

Nevertheless we hope that better child protection in general and which side in the current contest is most likely to deliver that will feature in the deliberations of the Scottish public when they come to cast their votes.

The protection of children from abuse, particularly that of the most vulnerable children for whom disability renders them even less able to defend themselves than ordinary children, should and must be a key driver of good governance in any national administration, whether already long-established or newly-emergent as an independent entity.

We note that child protection so far has not featured in the ‘Yes-No’
debates and we regret this omission, but there is still time to challenge the two contending parties, even if for reasons that those who have been loyally supporting us all these years and understand our situation will appreciate we ourselves are unable to do. We look forward to the time when the protection and well-being of each and every one of the youngest citizens of any country is integral to any electoral or quasi-electoral campaign but obviously there is still some way to go in this regard.

Whatever the outcome on Thursday 18th September, we warmly invite our fellow Scots as well as friends throughout these islands to continue to follow our story and support our call for justice. Regardless of what is going on the political front or in international dealings, the children must be protected as a priority, the rule of law must prevail and justice must be done; these are constants that never change.

Although the record to date either in Scotland and by association certain elements of the wider British state is not excellent, sadly, we very much hope and trust these core values and principles will more and more underpin the governance of our country Scotland and set the tone of our public life from henceforth, whoever is in charge.