Icon: enlarge
Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland's Prime Minister and foremost independence fighter
Photo: Jeff J Mitchell / dpa
Until recently, the signs were for independence: no more announcements from London, no more anger about Brexit and its aftermath - and no more corona chaos under the leadership of Boris Johnson.
The majority of Scots were in favor of leaving the UK recently.
But now the situation has been reversed.
With 46 to 43 percent, the Scots would vote to remain with the British if a referendum were to take place.
That was the result of a representative survey on behalf of "Scotland on Sunday".
more on the subject
Vengeance after acquittal in abuse scandal: Scotland's ruling party splits up Julia Smirnova reports from London
"Independence is clearly in sight": Scotland's government is campaigning for a new exit referendum
The alleged change of heart is due to a scandal surrounding the country's former First Minister, Alex Salmond, in which the currently ruling First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is increasingly being drawn.
Salmond was party leader for over 20 years and faced sexual assault and attempted rape charges.
Salmond was acquitted.
However, it remained unclear when Sturgeon knew of the allegations against him and how appropriately she reacted as head of government.
The head of government rejects the fact that it was all a plot against Salmond that she had started as "absurd".
Absolute majority possible in the election in May
Sturgeon is passionate about separating their country from Great Britain and is calling for a vote.
Salmond had already brought about a first referendum on independence in 2014, which, however, was 55 percent in favor of remaining in the United Kingdom.
With the negative press about him, Sturgeon and the Scottish National Party (SNP), support for the current plans for independence is now apparently waning.
However, the polls only seem to show a change of heart on the part of the Scots - in reality, independence as an issue remains as important as before.
On the one hand, the polls have fluctuated for months with a marginal majority for or against leaving the British community of states.
The current approval for the whereabouts is above all a snapshot under the influence of the Salmond scandal.
On the other hand, similar regional independence movements in Ireland, Spain or the former Soviet Union suggest that these will not vanish due to outrage over a politician who has since been disempowered.
Not even a concession from London has been able to bring about that: Tony Blair had initiated a partial transfer of power from London to the national parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with the "Devolution".
Boris Johnson in particular, however, undermined the Scots' trust in the deal when he described it as "Blair's greatest mistake" and cursed the distribution of power as a "disaster north of the border."
In addition, the independence movement is strongly represented in Parliament in Edinburgh by the ruling SNP.
There the party has 61 of 129 seats, more than twice as many as the Conservatives in second place.
The SNP is expected to gain even more strength: For the Scottish parliamentary elections in May, opinion researchers are now forecasting 72 seats and thus an absolute majority.
If this happens, Sturgeon promised, they would get Prime Minister Johnson to hold a referendum - and if necessary hold it without his consent.
What exactly is "independence" supposed to be?
With all the calls for and against independence, however, one central point remains unclear: What exactly do the Scots and their government understand by this?
Which currency should Scotland have as an independent state, who should be the head of state, how hard should the borders with Great Britain be, what the economic ties look like - and how safe would a re-entry into the EU be?
The memory of the Brexit should actually be a reminder to the Scottish government that the exit of Scotland from Great Britain, as well as its exit from the EU, cannot be easily clarified with a yes-no question.
In any case, their referendum brought years of chaos, economic damage and international upheaval for the British - precisely the grievances that Sturgeon sometimes cites as reasons for independence.
Icon: The mirror