Nicola Sturgeon says she “detests” the Conservatives, but it is Labour causing the SNP problems.
Labour’s fortunes have turned around dramatically under Sir Keir Starmer and this major shift in the political dynamic has thrown the first minister’s independence strategy into disarray.
The Tories under Liz Truss have had a chaotic start, the economy has been hammered and trust in the prime minister plummeted faster than the pound.
The leader of the SNP could normally expect to make political capital out of that situation.
But the appeal of independence as a way to remove the Conservative government suddenly does not look so clear.
Poll after poll show people are turning to Labour amid the Conservative chaos.
And with that campaigning tool blunted, Ms Sturgeon’s Plan B for a single-issue election on independence looks like a blunder.
Voters are looking for policies not politics from Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP
At a time of upheaval like this, voters will not thank the SNP if they appear to be gaming an election which will have to be about policies.
And policies are something the SNP conference in Aberdeen has been notably lacking.
After two days of keynote speeches, there has not been a single significant new announcement.
This sense of stagnation comes just as the Supreme Court convenes in London to test the SNP’s argument to hold a referendum without the same UK Government consent as in 2014.
When Ms Sturgeon stands on the conference stage today, she will have to put some energy into the campaign.
Her supporters have been marched up and down the hill in search of a referendum for years now.
Abusive attacks on Tories may be an easy applause point in the conference hall but outside in the real world voters want real solutions for improving their lives.
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