The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Ms Nicola Sturgeon, is a charismatic and intelligent individual, and without her leadership it is highly unlikely that the SNP would have reached the heights it now occupies both in the Scottish and Westminster parliaments. Furthermore, in the past, the leadership qualities of some of those in the pro Union parties in Scotland left much to be desired.

It was the fantasy economic case the SNP tried to argue in the Independence referendum in 2014, their unrealistic view of the future oil price in particular, which led to the majority of Scots voting to remain in the UK.

However, the SNP have again been encouraged to talk of yet another Independence referendum, this time on the basis that the majority of Scots voted in June to stay in the EU, despite the fresh embarrassing revelation that some of Ms Sturgeon’s own colleagues voted for Brexit!

Ms Sturgeon now needs to be told that ‘the express will of the Scottish people’ , a slogan she never tires of ranting, has already been delivered unequivocally by the Scots, as per the 2014 referendum result, and that THERE WILL BE NO 2nd REFERENDUM ! Mrs May must get this message across to Ms Sturgeon once and for all. Mrs May should, however, prioritise regular consultations with the Scottish Government, on the Brexit negotiations once they start. Not to do so would be inexcusable in view of the huge mandate held by the Nationalists.

A recent welcome development in Scotland, is the re-emergence of the Conservatives, after years in the doldrums, as a force to be reckoned with under their leader, Ruth Davidson, who is ably backed by Mark McInnis and Rab Forman, among others, in the party’s headquarters. However, they are simply not aggressive or proactive enough and they must do more to tackle Ms Sturgeon in the short term, rather than use their traditional tactics of the long game. Time waits for no one!