SCOTS should look to the Republic of Ireland for an inspiring example of independence in Europe as they debate their nation's constitutional future according to the leader of the Scottish National Party.
Mr Alex Salmond's St Patrick's Day message marked a significant departure for the SNP, which up to now cited only the more prosperous Scandinavian countries as potential role models for a self governing Scotland.
Mr Salmond, in an interview with the Scotland on Sunday newspaper, stated: "Ireland is on the world map in a way that Scotland can never be, without its own state. It is a small country which thinks big, the Irish are making the most of what they've got, whilst we, with a richer industrial heritage and so many more resources, are under achieving as a nation".
For many years Ireland was regarded by most Scots as a by word for economic backwardness and narrow minded nationalism of the sort the SNP has always stridently eschewed. The eruption of the violence in the North in 1969 nut the entire island beyond the pale in the perception of most Scottish people.
However, the Republic's economic progress in recent years has greatly impressed Mr Salmond, a former bank economist. "Our new economic policy has been highly influenced by the recent Irish experience. We believe the Irish have got the right approach to attracting inward investment through a low corporate tax regime rather than grants."
The SNP is now firmly established as the main challenger to the Labour Party in Scotland, which supports devolution rather than independence. Many commentators believe the SNP could use a devolved Scottish parliament as a powerful springboard to a fully separate state.
Mr Salmond's new found enthusiasm for Ireland may strike a chord with Scotland's Catholic minority, many of whom still point to their Irish ancestry. Their traditional suspicion of the SNP has been breaking down in recent years, according to opinion polls.
More than any other senior Scottish politician, the SNP leader has grasped the nettle of sectarianism by calling for a repeal of the Act of Succession, which bars a Catholic from becoming Britain's monarch or even marrying an heir to the throne.