by Robbie Dinwoodie

There is no doubt that divisions are deepening among those aspiring to independence

SOME readers may have noticed a slight change to the usual heading above this piece, with interview replaced by view. It’s not a permanent change – it’s simply that our planned sit-down with Andrew Wilson had to be cancelled because he came down sick at the eleventh hour and there wasn’t time to line up a replacement. Get well soon, Andrew and hopefully we’ll be able to chat for the October issue.

So instead this column is a distillation of my thoughts on the Growth Commission report he and his team produced, the way it will bubble under next month’s SNP conference, and the other powerful undertow beneath that gathering, the vexed question of when and how the Scottish Government can call and secure a date for a second referendum on independence.

I well remember the days of SNP conferences where there was blood on the walls as gradualists and fundamentalists went at it hammer and tongs. Goodness, in those days Labour had decent stair-head rammies too and they were on proper issues such as Clause IV rather than anti-Semitism.

Next month in Glasgow will not be like that but there is no doubt that divisions are deepening among those aspiring to independence. The current hiatus is not Nicola Sturgeon’s fault. She could never have foreseen the breathtaking ineptitude which has characterised the approach of the Conservative Government at Westminster to negotiations with the European Union on Brexit. The Tories have failed to negotiate with themselves, far less begin real dealings with the EU. It was perfectly reasonable for the First Minister to assume that by this late in the day we would know at least the broad bones of the settlement. Instead, Theresa May’s Chequers proposals exploded on the launch pad so everyone decided to go off on an extended holiday.