Robert Leslie, SNP candidate in the Scottish Parliament elections for the Orkney Constituency has claimed that the islands sitting MP and MSP are running scared of democracy by ignoring an invitation to publicly declare their support for Scotland’s right to decide on independence.

Robert Leslie has revealed that neither Alistair Carmichael nor Liam McArthur had replied to his invitation, sent on St Andrews Day, to sign the declaration or explain to him why they felt unable to.

Mr Leslie has been out in Kirkwall in the week between Christmas and New Year delivering leaflets outlining the declaration that folk can sign to pledge support for their right to decide Scotland’s future.

And he says Orkney’s Lib Dem parliamentary pair are taking an anti-democratic stance due to the fact that support for independence is now at 53% – rising dramatically to 61% if Nigel Farage was to become the next UK Prime Minister.

“With independence now looking more inevitable than ever, it is little wonder that Liam and Alistair are hiding from the fact that the people of Scotland are demanding a fresh vote and a fresh start with independence, away from disastrous Westminster,” said Mr Leslie.

During the first independence referendum in 2014, the leaders of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Tories all signed a pledge which read “Power lies with the Scottish people and we believe it is for the Scottish people to decide how we are governed.”

Mr Leslie said that in recent years the same parties have ditched this principle – preferring instead to ignore Scottish election results and deny Scotland’s right to decide on independence. Regardless of views on independence itself, Mr Leslie said he hoped everybody could agree that Scotland’s future must be Scotland’s choice.

“Scotland is a nation and must have the right to decide our own future.

“In 2014, all the Better Together parties signed a pledge which said that it is for the Scottish people to decide how we are governed.

“But since then, the pro-UK parties seem determined to ignore the decisions of the Scottish people. I respect that people and politicians across Scotland have differing views on independence – that’s exactly how it should be.

“But what we need to be clear on is that Scotland, like all nations, must have the right to decide our own future. We can disagree on independence, but surely, we must agree on democracy.”

Mr Leslie has now reached out to Jamie Halcro Johnston and Mike Macleod, the candidates in Orkney for the London-based Conservative and Unionist Party and Labour Party respectively.

“Given that a week is a long time in politics, I gave the Lib Dems an absolute age – a whole month – to get back to me on their stance on the right to decide. I’ve now reached out to Jamie and Mike on Hogmanay, so hopefully 25th of January being Burns Night, would be long enough for them to get back to me and let me know if they are more democratically minded.

“Independence will be the defining issue of the election, so we need to be clear on where our politicians stand. Do they agree that folk here in Orkney and across Scotland have the right to decide, or are they happy to continue to deny Scottish democracy just like their London bosses?”

Mr Leslie said he would encourage anyone who feels strongly that the people of Scotland should have the right to decide their own future to sign the declaration at https://www.yes.scot/signup/