It’s been the favourite gotcha question put forward by supporters of the SNP and the Scottish Greens at hustings events and TV debates throughout this Holyrood election period. What is the democratic route to a second independence referendum? The result has usually been awkward deflections by non-nationalist politicians as they try to avoid being framed as anti-democratic – which is, of course, the point of the question in the first place.

If the SNP were truly good democrats would they not be more tolerant of the inclusive democracy they are already part of?

If the SNP were truly good democrats would they not be more tolerant of the inclusive democracy they are already part of?

Scottish Labour, which more than any other party must woo a section of the electorate that has previously voted SNP, is particularly vulnerable to this attack. In an attempt to keep softer, independence-leaning voters onside while moving the conversation on to the more comfortable territory of holding the SNP accountable for its failings in government, the party’s leader, Anas Sarwar’s, response has generally been another version of ‘now is not the time’.

This is less than optimal. Pro-Union politicians should instead confront this argument head-on. Indeed, they can turn it around and show that it is, in fact, the SNP and the Scottish Greens that do not respect democracy. How........

© The Spectator