Watching the Caviar Queen squirm and squeal is a sight that warms the cockles – from a distance. Millions were spent on a much-vaunted visit to Trumponia. Nothing came of it. Whatever her delusions of grandeur – much less adequacy – not a single person of influence was willing to endure an audience with Her Majesty, the Dear Leader of the Eternal Jockche Revolution. After 80 meetings the SNP were only able to get 50 euro-non-entities to sign a letter promising their support for Scotland’s prompt absorption into the EU should it choose to part ways with the union that supports 80pc of its exports. Never mind that not a single one of these signatories has the capacity to lobby for a Scottish kipper stand, much less enter into binding legal agreements concerning Scotland’s future international relations. The recent emergence of previously confidential plans to establish a Scottish Monetary Institute to co-operate with the Bank of England or, as in Hong Kong, manage an independent currency which would likely be pegged to another currency – do little to assuage investor concerns. The cost of establishing such an institution would run in the scores of millions and would cost a high amount to keep.
Worst of all, for the long-suffering Scottish majority, Scotland is poised to slip into recession as the rest of the United Kingdom’s economy chugs along happily. This is, of course, the dreaded Québec Redux. An economy cannot function without capital, and capital despises political volatility. Following the 1995 vote in la Belle Province and the continued, relative, success of the Parti Québécois companies shifted operations from Montréal to Toronto and invested more heavily in Ontario and even British Columbia than Québec. This trend is unlikely to change until Scotland’s political situations stabilises. Much like Québec, the question of “when” this is remains highly uncertain. Scots Labour are a train wreck. In ten years they have not learnt a lesson. Should they, as predicted, come in a distant third in May’s council elections they might well lose any chance of meaningful recovery in the short-to-mid-term, if there even is a chance that they can recover. As in Trumponia, after a party’s pool of talent is degraded for too long recovery becomes difficult. I’ve heard rumours that a centre-left unionist party might be established in the mid-term if Labour implode north of the border. If this actually happens it would hardly be without precedent. After all, Ulster returns MPs that tend to support governments without entering a formal coalition. For example, UUP and DUP MPs supporting the Conservatives, SDLP MPs supporting Labour, etc.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Yes, Caledonia is shrouded in Scotch mist. Better for the First Mistress (gerrit?) if she had a North Korean state to impress with her empty promises. Jam tomorrow, as every child knows, is believed only once, unless belief is enforced. Until she can fix a date for indyref2 she is micturating in the westerly gale.
She doesn’t actually want IndyRef2, at least not now, because she knows she would lose. However as the raison d’etre for the SNP is Scottish Independence she just keeps banging on about it and causing trouble where she may.
The problem for the suffering majority of Scots is that her actions are starting to cause real damage to Scotland. Companies are reluctant to invest in Scotland because they don’t know what to expect from her. Even if she doesn’t get her way, she’s creating a toxic climate that will be hard to clean up. The SNP will, of course, implode. It’s very difficult to persuade people to support a dangerous venture when the ones pushing for it can’t manage the mundane tasks of government.