I vow to thee, my Scotland, a small number of earthly things

Politics is a funny old game. I could have sworn the Yes campaign lost the Battle for Scotland in pretty decisive fashion last month. Scotland voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom. It did not vote for something that might be reckoned some kind of Independence Within the United Kingdom for the very good reason that was not the question asked. The country may not have rejected independence – and endorsed the Union – overwhelmingly but it did do so decisively. But to hear SNP and Yes supporters speak these days you’d think nothing of the sort had happened at all. They lost the war but think they have a mandate to dictate the terms of the peace. [Note to bone-headed literalists: it wasn’t an actual war. You know, with guns and tanks and paratroopers and all that sort of thing. It was, figuratively, oh never mind…] Of course the defeat must be explained away.