A small spate of polls at the end of 2024 has left independence supporters considerably cock-a-hoop. The polls showed support for going Scotland’s own separate way has finally risen again in a manner that had not been true for the previous two years.

Since late 2022, the odd poll here and there had shown a majority in favour of independence but polling at the end of last year exhibited some sought-after consistency.

The second poll after the General Election in July showed support for the Union 10% higher than support for separation while the second-last one of last year showed almost the reverse – support for independence being 8% higher than for the Union.

It’s hard not to believe that that a seriously struggling Starmer-led Labour Party at Westminster has but been the root cause of this radical turnaround. And, the rise of Reform, led by Nigel Farage, has surely added to this trajectory. This means the SNP and other independence-supporting parties and organisations have basked in a warm light not of their own making.

Just before Christmas, in The Herald’s sister paper, the independence-supporting The National, critical commentator and Common Weal founder Robin McAlpine ventured that these polls should galvanise supporters into gallant action so that a slight, temporary majority becomes a bigger, permanent majority.

Read more by Gregor Gall

He opined that 55% of citizens in Scotland already "want to believe" in independence and have done so since 2016. Then, according to him, 5% of these believers need to be given a direct, instrumental reason to support independence and a........

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