This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter.

There’s something deeply absurd and offensive about the way democracy in Scotland now operates.

There’s about to be yet another pro-independence majority at Holyrood, but even pre-schoolers know there’s zero chance of indyref2. Westminster will simply refuse.

We’re told that only an SNP majority justifies another vote. Why? Why do SNP votes matter more than Green votes? That shouldn’t stand. It’s not democratic.

Why are we adhering to some abstract commandment, like members of a crank cult? The people didn’t vote for this arbitrary rule.

Why are we bound by the events of the past? Yes, an SNP majority was the route to the 2014 referendum. But so what? Times change.

What if another independence party emerged and took seats in parliament, then another, and another and another? What if there were a majority of MSPs in parliament affiliated to no party but all backed independence?

A majority is a majority no matter how it’s cut, no matter if it’s one party, two parties or a 100 parties.  

In any other political circumstance, in any other seat of government, if a cross-party majority wanted to enact X, then X would be enacted. But not in Scotland.

And so we now enter another period of nonsensical political limbo. The SNP and the Greens will demand a referendum based on their shared mandate for independence, and the London government........

© Herald Scotland