It’s not exactly great timing: on the very same day that Nicola Sturgeon called for another Scottish referendum, the price of oil tumbled again, falling to a fresh three month low.

Given that Scottish nationalism is still predicated on the idea of using petrodollars to fund a big welfare state, this is bad news for the movement to break up the UK. Politics isn’t just about economics, of course, but the SNP’s case for an independent, socialist Scotland is even weaker today than it was when it was last defeated in 2014.

There is little hope of the price of oil recovering in a game-changing way any time soon. Brent crude futures were trading at under $51 a barrel at one point yesterday: the rush for shale in the US and other global forces have devastated Opec’s ability to keep prices high. The cartel, together with the likes of Russia, has been trying to cut back on output, but it’s all been for nothing. Prices are down by 8pc in a week, with more to come, and the US industry has been adding rigs for the past eight weeks in a row.

This is good news for inflation and for consumers – Asda was one retailer that announced a 2p cut in the price of petrol and diesel yesterday, for example – but not for the SNP. Scotland’s budget deficit was already a crippling 9.5pc of GDP in 2015-16, roughly as bad as the UK’s was at the height of the financial crisis. Thanks to the rest of the country’s generosity, the devolved government is able to get away with spending far more than the economy could possibly afford – yet Sturgeon is committed to more of the same, forever. Public spending per capita in Scotland was £12,800 in 2015-16, compared with £11,500 for the UK.

The sums don’t add up - and if Scotland were to retain either the pound or adopt the euro, it wouldn’t even be able to print money to pay the bills. Sturgeon, like Jeremy Corbyn and the political left across the UK, still believes in the myth of the magic money tree. She still thinks that, post-independence, she would simply be able to click her fingers to conjure up the vast subsidies her government currently receives from England. It’s preposterous, dangerous nonsense, as is the view that Scotland would be able to tap the EU for massive transfers instead. Scotland is relatively wealthy by global standards and Brussels will find itself facing a fiscal crisis after the UK, a key net contributor, leaves.

David Fuller's view

Nicola Sturgeon has plenty of chutzpah, which some admire but I have always felt that she was a divisive influence within the UK and a disaster for Scotland.  

However, for a critical analysis, which is also entertaining, I tip my hat to Allison Pearson of The Telegraph for this article: Nicola Sturgeon is a liar and a traitor – off with her head!

Here is a PDF of Allister Heath's column.