One of the problems with the Hate Crime Act is that it treats "transgender identity" as if it is akin to race, sexual orientation, disability. Those things are given, objective facts about a person over which they have no control. Religion is treated differently because /1 it is a matter of belief about reality and in a democratic society you can contest belief about reality and, importantly, that can take the form of ridiculing it, laughing at it. That's why the Act allows expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule or insult towards religion. /2

Among my soft Yes and No friends, the impact of the Salmond/Sturgeon affair seems negligible. None has changed opinion of either. The damage is *as nothing* compared to that caused by the SNP's stance on "transphobia" and the Hate Crime Bill, which appears catastrophic. "Catastrophic" will sound hyperbolic but I mean it. I've a few soft 2014 No friends who've volunteered to me over the past year they'd vote Yes now. Every single one has similarly volunteered these issues as making them fearful of what an independent Scotland would be like.

Panicking unionism, telling itself it's ok because the rise in support for independence is based on Brexit, coronavirus or PM Johnson, might not be in the present pickle had it attached due importance to the fact that 45% of us wanted independence before any of those things. They acted like they won an election where the rules of he game are that the losers will shut up no matter what is done because they get another chance in five years. If you win a referendum narrowly, you can't behave as if you won it massively. You won't get away with it. /2

"We voted as one United Kingdom - we all get one vote" really isn't the zinging clincher some unionists seem to think it is. In fact, it's the opposite - it's the argument for independence in a nutshell. 1/ Unlike, say, London or Yorkshire, Scotland is a country. That is, after all, what makes our precious, special unique union so precious, special and unique. 2/