Leader comment: Sturgeon heaps pressure on May

There are many interpretations being'¨ put upon Nicola Sturgeon's recent suggestion that a soft Brexit would'¨see prospects of a second Scottish independence referendum disappear in the short term.

By The Newsroom Saturday, 7th January 2017, 6:00 am Updated Monday, 9th January 2017, 1:01 pm

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested that a UK soft Brexit would mean no immediate second independence referendum

There are those who say that Ms Sturgeon is simply looking at the recent poll data which shows that at best there has been no change in the way the electorate is divided over the prospect of independence, with the majority still in favour of staying in the union. The theory goes that because Nationalists believe if the next indyref cannot be won the issue will genuinely go away for at least a generation they cannot risk a referendum until they are certain to win, and currently they are not certain to win, so this is Ms Sturgeon beginning to back away from the prospect.

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Others say she is asking for what she knows is impossible to deliver, given all Theresa May and her government have said about special deals for Scotland, so she will be justified in calling for a second independence vote because her demands have not been met.

But there is of course always the possibility that she is doing exactly what she said she would do, and examine every potential avenue for a better deal for Scotland.