Brexit boosts Scottish nationalists

IF THE MOST important consequence of Britain’s general election is that the European Union will break up, the second most important is that the United Kingdom itself may not survive. The Scottish National Party’s big advance—it looks like boosting its seats in Westminster from 35 to 48 out of 59—combined with the growing gulf between English and Scottish politics, means that the grounds for another referendum on Scottish independence are greatly strengthened.

For the rest of the UK this election was about Brexit, but for the SNP, like all politics, it was about Scottish independence. Since the independence referendum of 2014, which it lost, the SNP has been building the case for another vote. That referendum galvanised pro-independence opinion, and the SNP won a thumping victory in the Westminster election in 2015, though was knocked back somewhat in 2017. This vote strengthens its case.