In politics, you can tell how well you’re doing by the level of panic in your opponents’ response

Mainstream politicians are alarmed by Reform ’s surge in the polls, which suggest it will win as many as 15 seats at the next Holyrood election in May 2026 .

First Minister John Swinney announced a cross-party summit to tackle the rise of Nigel Farage's party.

Those who thought “progressive” Scotland would be immune to this trend are being proved wrong.

The Nats will have to find a way to talk about this without looking detached from reality, of wanting Scotland to hunker down in its little northern European corner and avoid playing a role in the difficult times to come.

It seems unlikely that Scots will want to reheat the independence debate during a period of prolonged international crisis.