A transcendental conundrum

NICOLA Sturgeon introduces a new word into the SNP lexicon (Independence “transcends” Brexit, oil and the economy, says Sturgeon, News, September 18). On the second anniversary of the 2014 referendum, the First Minister realises that on the big issues the case for leaving the UK has been weakened, so uses transcending rhetoric to fly above the real world the rest of us live in.

The First Minister had hoped the Brexit result would provide not just a trigger for another referendum but also a rationale that would sway public opinion. Yet after an initial blip in the opinion polls following the EU referendum result, majority support for remaining in the UK is broadly back where it was.

Last time around, overblown projections on oil underpinned the economic case for an independent Scotland. The reality is reflected in our £15 billion fiscal deficit and the net £9bn per annum coming to Scotland from the rest of the UK to enable us to balance the books.

Does the First Minister really believe she can coax the people of Scotland on the basis of a new brand of transcendental nationalism?