When the people of Scotland decided in last year’s independence referendum not to seek to split away from the United Kingdom, by 55 percent to 45, it was thought that that was a once-in-a-generation decision safely dealt with. The May 2015 UK general election, however, provided new impetus for the Scottish National Party and its ongoing undermining and non-acceptance of the no-to-independence vote. The 56 SNP members of the UK parliament (Scotland has 59 seats in the lower house, so the general election represented almost a clean sweep for the SNP in Scotland) are a vocal force in Westminster for the interests of all things Scottish.

The SNP has long decried the impact of the UK political system on Scotland’s ability to decide its own affairs and declared in September that its manifesto for the next Scottish Parliament election in May 2016 may include provision for a further independence referendum, if it feels it can win such a vote. (As a mere Sassenach, I do have to as