In the opinion polls in the run up to the referendum a sizeable majority of Scots (whether they were Yes or No supporters is irrelevant) supported that there should be a referendum. There is no evidence that it was only wanted by a small minority. It may not have been top priority for many Scots but there was not a majority against the principle of having it.

The SNP made it clear in their manifesto for the last Holyrood election that they were standing on the platform of holding said referendum and they received (in a 4 major party system) a massive 45.4% of the constituency vote and 44% of the regional list vote - so in a parliament with a voting system designed to help avoid majorities they for the first time in the parliament's history actually got a majority. Yes it is disappointing when turnouts are low but just as in the UK elections many people choose to disenfranchise themselves voluntarily. There was a clear mandate and it is only sore losers who'd suggest otherwise. People who don't vote don't vote. That is our democracy!!

As to whether there is another referendum then again the polls still show that most Scots want one at some point. One example being the Daily Record poll in Feb where 80% of Scots think there should be another vote at some point and 59% believe it should be within the next 10 years. There is a strong vocal minority (about 20% sometimes around 25%) opposed to it on principle but there you go we don't always get what we want! That is life.

The facts are that the way Scottish and the wider British electoral system works is that you vote for parties based on their manifestos and if they obtain a majority then they are then in the position to take said manifestos forward. We do not also litter general election ballot papers with individual issues.

And just to let the non-Scots know what this is about. Sturgeon hasn't even said that there will be the promise of another referendum in their 2016 manifesto - despite what some of the London based papers claim. During the leader's debate in Scotland the issue of independence came up and Sturgeon pointed out that while she supports independence this election is not about independence but about issues in general and that the issue of independence will not be in the election manifesto. The other leaders then tried to get her to make a guarantee that there would be no referendum promised in the next election for the Scottish parliament. Something which they of course knew full well she wouldn't and couldn't do. Future SNP manifestos will be written by the SNP party hierarchy and not by Jim Murphy and Ruth Davidson on live TV. She then said that there could be a referendum promise in the 2016 Holyrood manifesto if there was some major change like Scotland being withdrawn from the EU against its wishes. All hypothetical - all nothing to do with this forthcoming vote - and something that they would need to gain acceptance for from the Scottish electorate at said time anyway!