Scottish independence: Nicola Sturgeon's referendum scheme is boxing her into a corner – John McLellan

Since First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed her grand strategy to deliver an independence referendum, many of my esteemed media colleagues have been falling over themselves to praise the “masterstroke” of satisfying the movement and catching opponents on the hop.

Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold a referendum on Scottish independence but it may not be legal (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

It hasn’t taken long for the gloss to come off, now it’s known that the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, Ms Sturgeon’s hand-picked law chief, had no confidence the draft bill for a referendum in October next year would be legally competent.

If Ms Bain won’t approve it, Ms Sturgeon must know the Supreme Court will throw it out too, so the whole thing is, as I wrote last week, a wheeze.

There is also a high chance the Supreme Court will refuse to act as a consultancy and won’t give a final ruling until the proposed legislation has been tabled and subjected to parliamentary scrutiny and amendment.

If the chances of a referendum on October 19, 2023, were slim last week, they are non-existent now, and it is also beyond doubt that turning the next general election into a “de facto referendum” is more hokum because elections are only the means to choose representatives to form a government, not a legislative process.

So with both the main UK parties opposed to a second referendum, and Labour rejecting a deal with the SNP, there is simply nowhere for Ms Sturgeon to go.

In frustration, she is turning to inflammatory language like “imprisoned”, but it’s not Scotland which is in a corner, but Ms Sturgeon.