It has lost recent council byelections to Labour too (in North Lanarkshire and North Ayrshire, where Ms Sturgeon’s father was defeated) as well as winning one. Ms Sturgeon does not want to lose a second vote. The conference will debate a motion from Edinburgh West on Friday that calls on the SNP “to prepare” for a second referendum while stopping short of actually demanding one. Ms Sturgeon is caught between activists who crave a second vote and her own more cautious instincts. The conference’s theme of “Stronger for Scotland” suggests that Ms Sturgeon agrees, even if she is wary of disappointing her activists by saying so too directly.

Source: The Guardian October 12, 2016 18:10 UTC