As the Scottish Greens gather for our autumn conference in Perth this weekend, we do so in a time of great uncertainty in British politics.

Our members will be debating the consequences of Brexit and the utter lack of respect being shown by the Westminster government for the way Scotland voted.

The decision to consult on a bill for another independence referendum is to be welcomed and it's vital that this opportunity remains open before the end of the two-year negotiating period with Europe.

Four months after the EU referendum we're still none the wiser as to what Brexit will look like or actually mean for the UK. The Westminster government's inability to acknowledge the overwhelming mandate for Remain in Scotland, or demonstrate any kind of flexibility the Union could take in allowing individual UK nations to forge relations with Europe, shows that independence is quickly becoming the most realistic option for Scotland to shape its own partnership with the European Union.

People in Scotland didn't vote to surrender their rights to move freely in Europe, their rights in the workplace, or their protection from economic and environmental exploitation. Greens are committed to defending those rights, and our place in Europe. We simply cannot leave our future at the mercy of the reckless and clueless Brexiteers.

Evidently the referendum results in 2014 and 2016 can no longer sit side by side because the UK that Scotland narrowly voted to remain a part of two years ago no longer exists.

Every opportunity must be explored to keep Scotland in the European Union and that now includes the option of an independence referendum. It would be foolish for the UK Government to stand in Scotland's way having already disregarded the 62% who voted Remain earlier this year.

A message goes out from our conference to those almost-Yes voters, especially those in the Labour movement who felt that independence was the sole domain of the SNP, that Greens want to speak to you in the coming months about our vision for a just and internationalist Scotland.

We must prepare for the next independence campaign, not just to win a Yes vote, but to win a better Scotland. Greens will continue to strengthen the case on issues such as currency and industrial strategy.

We're also moving into a year in which Scotland will decide how our local communities are run for the next five years; when Holyrood will decide whether councillors will have the freedom to renew and revitalise local democracy, or just hand on more cuts to public services.

And we're moving into a year in which we'll have the chance to build a fairer economy by sharing the wealth that all of us generate but which has been hoarded by so few for so long.

In all of these choices, Greens have a vital role to play.

Comment by Patrick Harvie, co-convenor of the Scottish Greens. Patrick is an MSP for the Glasgow region and was a member of the Yes Scotland advisory board.