In 2014 Scotland voted to stay part of the UK. Whether you were a Yes or a No voter, that was the deal. The process we went through to get to that outcome was both invigorating - in the way it brought politics back to life in Scotland - but also a matter of deep concern, with 'Project Fear' using every tactic in the book to sow uncertainty and doubt. It all culminated in the infamous 'Vow' and promises of plenty if only Scotland stayed in the union.

But the status quo was not the winner from the referendum. In the two elections since, Scotland sent 56 SNP MPs to Westminster and re-elected the SNP at Holyrood. Hardly an endorsement of the UK political landscape or the unionist parties.

And then came the summer of 2016 where we saw the unimaginable come true as the UK voted to leave Europe. Even those who led the Leave side seemed to be amazed the electorate had done so - which may explain the complete lack of any plan for exit. Cameron goes, Boris walks away from the leadership of the Tories and we end up with Theresa May. In turn, the Vow turned to dust as the promise that a No vote would keep us in the EU was exposed as a lie.

Then, Westminster passes a Trident renewal vote whilst continuing with its damaging austerity policy - against the advice of the IMF - that is forcing over a million people to rely on foodbanks. How we can afford £205bn for missiles - while failing to collect £120bn in corporation tax - but not be able to feed for poor? The UK stands alongside Greece when it comes to the worst decline in incomes in Europe. Austerity is hitting the 99% whilst the 1% just get richer on the back of misery.

After Brexit, we are seeing costs rise for imports, a currency decline for the pound against both the dollar and euro, and companies cancelling contracts and projects. I have first-hand experience of the cost of Brexit: the business I work for has seen costs increase by 10-15% - that will have a multi-million impact. I know of investment funds that have closed for withdrawals, and banks that have suffered huge value write-downs. Ironically RBS and Lloyds TSB between them dropped value by enough to pay the UK’s EU membership fee for five years. Pensioners have seen a huge drop in the value of their pensions, and farmers are dismayed at the UK government stating clearly it will not replace EU agricultural payments at the same levels. These are not “Project Fear” scare stories, they are happening.

Most Yes voters never believed Westminster's promises - and we can now prove it was all a pack of lies - and that is why it is now time to say Yes2 a second independence referendum. If we do not take matters into our own hands, we will find ourselves in a Westminster Tory dystopia of private healthcare, nuclear weapons, decimation of welfare and a complete dismantling of any form of workers' rights - and that's before we get to the xenophobia driven hatred we are seeing of immigrants who we need in Scotland to offset an ageing population.

What we have now, is not the Scotland Yes voters envisaged and I am sure that it is not the Scotland many No voters wanted. We now have more in common than we have that divides us. We must now all put aside tribal political party allegiances, resist the “I told you so” and instead focus on working together towards an independent Scotland where we all endeavour to make the country everything it aspires to be.

Whether you are a Tory, Labour, LibDem or SNP supporter now is the time to look south and say, “That is not our destiny and together we can do something about it”. More than any other time in the history of Scotland we need to do the right thing not just for us now but for generations to come. Yes2 a second referendum, Yes2 working together for the right reasons, Yes2 independence.

Businessman Tony McCandless co-runs the Yes2 group which campaigns for a second independence referendum. He is also a member of the SNP and Business for Scotland