The difficulty is that any minute now, someone is going to ask the beleaguered First Minister the staggeringly obvious question that arises from the fact, namely:
This is the SNP’s latest messaging. Ministers, MSPs, payroll drones and the central party account were all tweeting the graphic and variations on the line yesterday.
And it’s quite difficult even just to count the number of different ways in which it’s not just mind-bogglingly offensive, but also clatteringly, jaw-droppingly stupid.
The wild thing about this poll isn’t the headline that six months after winning a massive landslide majority, Keir Starmer now trails Nigel Farage – leader of a party with five MPs to Starmer’s 411 – as the electorate’s choice for best Prime Minister.
It’s the little grey numbers sitting quietly at the bottom.
Nobody really answered the question in this article from a few days ago. A few of the dimmer bulbs in the indy movement have been getting over-excited at what are still currently a couple of outlier polls from fringe polling companies, which suggest that the 2026 election could unexpectedly return a pro-indy majority due to the Unionist vote being split four ways in the wake of UK Labour’s implosion in government.
That scenario depends on all sorts of dubious propositions, but in any event what none of them have addressed is what that would change even if it did happen, given that Holyrood has a pro-indy majority RIGHT NOW (and has done so on every single day since the indyref more than a decade ago) and it’s produced nothing whatsoever in terms of movement towards independence by any possible measure.
And it occurred to us that we had genuinely no idea what the SNP’s current official indy strategy is, because the party’s been in such farcical chaos and turmoil ever since Nicola Sturgeon’s sudden resignation. So we thought we should go and check.
To be honest, we’re not much the wiser for having read it.
Look, we know that mocking front pages on The National is low-hanging fruit, and this particular example could hardly be any more of a self-parody if it tried.
But just for the sheer mental exercise in that stone-dead last week of December when nobody even knows what day it is, let’s imagine if it came true.
Poor old Tommy Sheppard’s got a contract, so he has to keep talking. And this week he said something that, if anyone really thought the constitution was still a current live political issue, would have attracted a lot more attention than it did.
Because even the SNP are now saying another indyref is – at best – a decade away.
Sven on Binfire Of The Vanities: “James Che @ 10.19. Although not, perhaps, quite so amusing to a Christian, James. I await with interest Northy’s spoof…” May 5, 11:13
Northcode on Binfire Of The Vanities: “The election on Thursday is a pantomime in which I don’t usually participate having accepted a long time ago that…” May 5, 11:12
Geri on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Actually, we do care. SNP may find themselves out of office because of it. They’ve spent the last five years…” May 5, 11:11
Alf Baird on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Yes, at least two of our brave liberators standing for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland Party have been persecuted and…” May 5, 11:11
James Che on Binfire Of The Vanities: “The Anglo – Irish parliaments ( westminster ) legislation for a pretend devolved Scottish parliament for the first time in…” May 5, 10:10
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: ““I had a dream last night” We can but idly speculate on just how much better your post could have…” May 5, 10:04
Captain Caveman on Binfire Of The Vanities: “@BroughtyBoy Don’t worry about YL, he’s just having one of his daily (nightly) meltdowns at the prospect of someone disagreeing…” May 5, 09:52
Northcode on Binfire Of The Vanities: “I had a dream last night. And in my dream God came to me and without sound said unto me…” May 5, 09:46
Captain Caveman on Binfire Of The Vanities: “I agree Stu, you’re right, they are. (Nothing “notional” left about the SNP in my view though, as evidenced through…” May 5, 09:45
Andy Wiltshire on Binfire Of The Vanities: “How much of a thing will tactical voting be? In particular anti-Reform, anti-SNP, and maybe anti-Green.” May 5, 09:29
James Che on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Party before Country and people has to be made void, And the vote sharing system has to end, because this…” May 5, 09:21
Scot Finlayson on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Sweden has just approved that to obtain citizenship, the following must be required: – 8 years of residence – Stable…” May 5, 09:12
James Che on Binfire Of The Vanities: “The problem between voting for Colonial parties and colonial parties including the SNP, is that Scotland will continue to be…” May 5, 08:38
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Of course, Confused, it’s always possible that while you are sitting up late on what to many Scots is a…” May 5, 08:13
Hatey McHateface on Seven Days Too Long: ““Get yersel prepared for separation cause it’s coming right at yea” Thursday, Geri, is that when? Should I say “bye…” May 5, 08:02
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: “@Alf Are you telling us that with under a week to go to the election, Fanon and Memmi have run…” May 5, 07:52
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Civil disobedience, eh, YL? Is that a promise, or just a solemn vow?” May 5, 07:41
Hatey McHateface on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Fa’s Northy? Looks like he’s decamped tae Unherd: https://unherd.com/2026/05/north-wests-stolen-childhood/” May 5, 07:39
Bilbo on Binfire Of The Vanities: “George Ferguson says: 4 May, 2026 at 10:19 pm I am well past the stage of voting for Alliance Scotland.…” May 5, 07:36
twathater on Binfire Of The Vanities: “@ Confused, there was also the case of the highly respected (hahaha) QC who it is alleged was involved in…” May 5, 03:03
twathater on Binfire Of The Vanities: “@ YL , Cynicus , George Ferguson, I cannot understand the logic of voting for parties who have proven inumerable…” May 5, 02:53
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “C @ 12.29 Not voting SNP? Fine. Tactically voting for Unionists? Enjoy drinking the fruits of your self inflicted damnation..” May 5, 01:19
Geri on Seven Days Too Long: “AI Dan is getting desperate clutching at straws now. He obviously didn’t bother to read Dan’s link where Stu gives…” May 5, 00:37
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “I So you are apparently quite happy for us to be sh8gged by one lot but not the other? Kind…” May 5, 00:36
Cynicus on Binfire Of The Vanities: “George Ferguson says: 4 May, 2026 at 8:04 pm “I don’t see a vote against the SNP as a right…” May 5, 00:29
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “A Civil disobedience I’m afraid is the only answer when the democratic process is so obviously blocked. Whether people have…” May 5, 00:17
Cynicus on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Hold your nose and LEND your vote to the party most likely to beat the SNP. #No Votes SNP” May 5, 00:13
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “BB “Nowt”.. Nowt? Nowt?? Hmmmm.. Eeee bah goom! Anyway, have you stopped to actually listen to so much of the…” May 5, 00:07
Young Lochinvar on Binfire Of The Vanities: “Agreed Alf. That’s the gut change that’s needed. George, sorry brother but small as it’ll start, or if something else…” May 4, 23:50