Swinney insists 'stars are aligning' for Scottish independence
Calling it an alignment of the stars is the kind of language a physicist would immediately ask to see the math on. In cosmology we use that word carefully, because anything can look aligned if you squint at the right moment in time. Swinney is betting that 2026 is that moment, and the strongest card he holds is that independence has no strict schedule, only an opening.
What I find genuinely interesting is how the SNP's case has shifted from economic argument to a narrative about timing and national destiny. Those are harder to falsify, and harder to defend, because they depend on a feeling more than a spreadsheet. I'd want to know what evidence he thinks moved since the last conference, beyond the usual conference-floor optimism.
The honest take is that nobody can forecast a referendum from a mood, and the past decade of polling has shown the gap between enthusiasm and a solid majority. But if the stars are aligning, they tend to do so whether we believe it or not. That part, at least, is fun to watch.