A snap General Election has sent shockwaves through Holyrood.
An independence-supporting majority of SNP and Greens pushed through backing for a second independence referendum last month.
But Prime Minister Theresa May blocked the call, saying now is not the time.
With Westminster having stymied the push for a referendum between autumn next year and spring 2019, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s next move looked tricky.
Ms Sturgeon has ruled out using legal powers to hold indyref2 without the permission of the UK Parliament, choosing instead to take the line Ms May would back down.
Instead, the PM has spectacularly turned the tables once again in the dramatic stand-off.
If she can get around the Fixed Term Parliament Act and hold a General Election in just two months, it is likely to become a de facto independence referendum in Scotland.
The vote will also be a second chance for those opposed to Brexit to make their voice heard.
While south of the border the Conservatives should be able to increase their majority against a limping Labour party, in Scotland the strength of the SNP vote shows no sign of shifting.
Ms May says she has delivered stability after Brexit, but her latest move looks set to put the union itself on a shoogly peg.
