I believe in political unions. Britain is leaving one next year, but it must protect and enhance another, our own. That union, the United Kingdom, remains under threat. The Scottish Nationalist government continues to press for a second independence referendum. Having lost the arguments during the 2014 plebiscite, it is expected to publish this week a new blueprint for independence to keep the issue alive.

Nicola Sturgeon, first minister, has staked her reputation within the SNP on delivering a second attempt. All the indicators are that she wants to press ahead and seize the shot at history that eluded her predecessor Alex Salmond. It is unlikely Ms Sturgeon’s latest efforts will be met with enthusiasm from Scottish voters. People are weary after more than a decade of SNP rule, in which grievance politics have taken precedence over schools, the economy and building a sustainable health service. And, contrary to popular belief, Brexit has not eroded support for the UK despite a majority of Scots voting for Remain. If anything it has reminded folks that constitutional change brings insecurity and uncertainty. If leaving the EU is a bad thing, as the SNP insist, why is leaving a union four times more important in terms of trade to Scotland somehow a virtue? 

That said, we cannot be complacent. As long as our future relationship with the EU is in flux, it would be foolish to assume that the current trends on Scotland remaining in the UK will hold and that the threat of separation has gone away. The SNP is in power north of the border and will use that clout to drive a wedge between Scotland and the rest of the country. So we unionists must work hard to bolster our case for the union.