The SNP is its own worst enemy

Not so very long ago, Scotland’s nationalist minority was mustering behind a catastrophic plan to treat the next general election as a ‘de facto’ referendum. Having over-promised for years about her ability to deliver a second vote on the constitution, former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon declared that a majority of votes for pro-independence candidates would give her the green light to open secession talks with whoever was prime minister.

‘Hurrah!’ cheered nationalists, ‘This is a brilliant idea.’ Then Sturgeon resigned amid a police investigation into her party and was succeeded by Humza Yousaf, who declared he was not in favour of Sturgeon’s ‘de facto’ referendum idea.

‘Hurrah!’ cheered nationalists, ‘That was a terrible idea.’ Yousaf’s First Ministership didn’t get off to a flying start and, three months on, he remains on the ground, stumbling from crisis to crisis, struggling to get a firm grip on his party.