Much has been said about Theresa May’s election debacle but little about the meltdown in support for Nicola Sturgeon, whose dream of Scottish independence ended with May’s election nightmare. She, like the prime minister, won the election but has no mandate to continue with her second referendum on independence.
In some ways she is in the same boat as her arch enemy, Theresa May. I suspect that she will attempt to push ahead with the poll but you get the impression that the Scottish have little or no appetite for another referendum. The Union appears to be safe, which eases another headache for May. Probably one of the few bright spots for the prime minister was the election success of the Scottish Tories. Not only did they win, they also ejected two senior members of the Scottish Nationalists from their seats. It was once said that the Conservatives couldn’t win seats north of the border.
But there are also dangers for May. The Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, favours a soft Brexit, which is probably the correct way forward. But Sturgeon has been hit by this general election. She failed to make the case for independence and I suspect that it will now be quietly forgotten. May had promised an increased majority but Sturgeon promised another referendum. Both have been unsuccessful. While May’s days could be numbered it will be interesting to see if Sturgeon can survive.