Our secessionist friends have reached the desperate stage. Their small gathering was little noticed even in Dunfermline. The number of spectators hardly exceeded the number of prisoners, McAlpine fell asleep, Chapman plotted to leave the SNP for Alba and then didn’t, while Salmond entertained the crowd with a game of footsie worthy of Jim Baxter.

But most Scots don’t want an independence referendum next year, nor indeed any time soon. We have better things to be concerned about including the cost of living, the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of Covid.

If most Scots don’t want a legal referendum next year with the result respected by both sides and independence if it were to happen taking place with cooperation and good will, then it is preposterous to suppose that there is anything close to a majority for independence to happen without the UK Government’s consent.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters