The Scottish Government’s white paper on independence said: “A referendum is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
Alas, to ruin The Who for many a reader, it seems Nicola Sturgeon is a little more flexible when she’s “talkin’ ‘bout my g-g-g-generation”.
It must be pointed out that another vote on whether Scotland should go it alone is absolutely not part of the SNP’s plans for this general election. Really, it’s not.
Next year’s manifesto for Holyrood will be another matter, though. And it will be interesting. Will there be a straight commitment? Will it be heavily caveated? Will it be there at all?
The Nationalists would argue, with some justification, that it isn’t an issue for casting your vote this year but it’s no surprise the First Minister’s refusal to rule out a Yes/No re-run caused “a big s-s-sensation” (sorry).
Last year was very positive and engaging in many ways but it also left lots of folk pretty shell-shocked. There’s probably not a lot of appetite for a repeat performance, other than from the most hardcore “45er”.
What we need now is for the focus to be less on constitutional issues and more on the issues affecting everyday Scots.
