Bill brings “indyref2” no closer in reality

The publication of a draft bill for another Scottish independence referendum is less a statement of intent and more a means for the Scottish Government to hold Westminister’s feet to the fire over its involvement in Brexit negotiations.

It is no secret Nicola Sturgeon is not quite ready to go back to the polls over Scotland’s sovereignty but the clamour since the EU referendum is reaching a crescendo among supporters of Scottish nationalism.

The next Scottish independence referendum will be no “once in a generation” affair — defeat would spell the end for any breakaway from the rest of the UK, possibly forever.

Opinion polls, even in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote, have held steady since September 2014 with a narrow advantage for the unionists.

For that reason, Sturgeon will not be rushing to take further steps. She will not launch into a fresh scrap without being far more confident than at present that she can win it.

So it is important to cut through the noise around the draft bill.

The country is holding its collective breath as it waits to find out what Brexit actually means. Investment has stalled and prices are rising.

Another layer of uncertainty is unwelcome and Sturgeon — a master of judging the nation’s mood — knows it. The likelihood of it being her own government’s ambitions which are burned is all too clear.