From riding a wave to slowly sinking...

WhaT a difference a year (and a snap general election) makes.

only 12 months ago, first minister Nicola sturgeon had fully committed herself to ignoring the result of the 2014 independence referendum and was plotting a second vote on the future of the United Kingdom.

having seen her holyrood majority slip away in 2016, miss sturgeon was preparing an all-or-nothing referendum which, as she announced in april, would take place either in the second half of 2018 or early the following year.

The sNP’s Unionist opponents, weary after the bruising contest of 2014, still had the majority of the public on side but miss sturgeon was ready to gamble that she could swing things in her direction and achieve what her predecessor, alex salmond, had failed to.

The first minister was soon to learn that the scottish electorate had grown weary of being treated with contempt.

Prime minister Theresa may’s decision to call a general election in June might have wounded her but the result was no triumph for the first minister, either.

The loss of 21 of the sNP’s 56 Westminster seats represented a backlash against the Nationalists, the extent of which took miss sturgeon completely by surprise. she had expected the sNP to shed a handful of seats but to see so many colleagues – including alex salmond and the Nationalists’ deputy leader angus Robertson – lose their seats confirmed that the first minister had completely misread the mood of the country.

miss sturgeon has never looked less surefooted than she did in the weeks after the general election. and when she finally emerged with a new position – there would be a second referendum but to a ‘reset’ timetable – she failed to satisfy either her supporters or referendum-weary voters.

as the first minister prepares to return to holyrood after the Christmas break, she will be weighing carefully her next constitutional move.

observers should remember, however, that whatever miss sturgeon might say about a second independence referendum, the power to authorise it lies with Westminster and, after the general election result, mPs would have no compunction about blocking another vote.