Nats left in an indy limbo

ANALYSIS

BREXIT has plunged Britain into its biggest crisis since the Blitz.

Yet still most Scots remain opposed to holding another independence referendum anytime soon.

A poll published yesterday showed 60 per cent of Scots don’t want another referendum for at least five years. And more than 30 per cent are opposed to IndyRef2 happening at all.

This is despite the fact the SNP remain by far the most popular political party in Scotland. And the same Survation poll even suggested support for the Nationalists has nudged upwards in recent months.

The SNP’s most recent Holyrood manifesto committed to holding another referendum if there was a “significant” change in circumstances, such as Scotland being removed from the EU against its will.

But the last time Sturgeon called for a second referendum in the face of public opposition, it cost the party 500,000 votes and 21 MPs.

The SNP leadership know there is no realistic chance of the UK Government granting a second referendum until after the next Holyrood election in 2021.

On Twitter yesterday, the First Minister wrote: “Today’s events beg a real question for Scotland – do we want to continue with a situation where a handful of DUP MPs can hold more sway over the future of our country than our own democratically elected Parliament?”

The lesson many Scots seem to have taken from Brexit is that referendums don’t work and constitutional change is a grinding pain in the neck.

Convincing them to plunge into another period of turbulent debate may be beyond even Sturgeon’s skill.