Referendums are too confusing: can we vote to stop holding them?

Nicola Sturgeon’s reasons for another Scottish referendum, cried Ruth Davidson, were a sham. “It’s a very wellrehearsed game,” the leader of the Scottish Tories told MSPs in Edinburgh. “Put forward an unworkable proposal, wait for Westminster politicians to point it out, and then rush to a nearby microphone, with the angry face on, and trot out the same old tired complaints.”

A perfectly credible analysis – except, I think, for the bit about putting “the angry face on”. I’ve always found Ms Sturgeon’s anger extremely convincing. The eyes flashing. The forearms bare. The right fist clenched tight, as if gripping the end of an invisible rolling pin. If that’s her pretending, I’d hate to see the real thing.

The Scottish Parliament was debating whether to support a new referendum. The First Minister said she knew some voters were weary and wouldn’t “relish” the idea. But ultimately, she insisted, it had to happen.

Ms Davidson was not impressed. Quite simply, the Scottish people didn’t want another referendum. Polling suggests this is true, but the Nationalists could actually use it to their advantage. I can see their billboards now. “Sick of referendums? Then vote for independence, and we guarantee never to hold another!”

The Scottish Lib Dems disagree with Ms Sturgeon. “We’re opposed,” cried their leader Willie Rennie, “to another divisive referendum on independence!” For some reason, I was under the impression that the Lib Dems couldn’t get enough of second referendums.

The Greens’ Patrick Harvie – who supports holding another Scottish referendum – had devised an ingenious argument.

In 2014, he explained, Scots had voted No to independence. So that was the will of the people. Yet in 2016, Scots had voted to remain in the EU. So that was the will of the people too. Therefore, the only way to honour the will expressed in 2016 was to ask people to reconsider the will that they expressed in 2014. Otherwise, the will of the people would be denied by the will of the people.

Interesting logic, although I fear it means that to avoid denying their own will the people will have to deny their own will. This is getting very confusing. Let’s never vote on anything again.