The prospect of an independent Scotland is fading away

Whisper it, but the dream of a separate Scotland could be fading for Scottish nationalists. A new poll shows that only one-third of Scots want a referendum on independence to take place within the next two years. And while only a slim majority (51 per cent) support holding Britain together, the poll also found that only one-third of Scots believe it would be wrong for the UK Supreme Court to decide whether a referendum can take place.

Constitutional powers being decided at the UK level is, it turns out, absolutely fine with most Scots. That matters, because the Supreme Court could be the crucial institution that decides whether a poll can take place (that is, if law officers at Holyrood even let it get that far).

Perhaps the Supreme Court’s much publicised 2019 proceedings, which led to a ruling that Boris Johnson acted unlawfully when he advised the Queen to suspend parliament, has anointed it with special reverence in people’s hearts.