NICOLA Sturgeon has been told by the Prime Minister to, as they say in Glasgow “away an chase yersel”.

Ms Sturgeon put the nationalist cat right in amongst the Tory pigeons by stealing Ms May’s thunder in announcing the call for a second referendum on the very day the Prime Minister was due to win approval for Brexit in the Commons.

In turn Theresa May waited a few days until the eve of the SNP conference, where the massed ranks of nationalist foot soldiers will turn up to be fired up by their leader for the fight ahead, to tell her to forget it, it’s not happening.

The people don’t want it she said, now is not the time.

Of course neither are playing political games. We know this because they both told us so.

Timing of the announcements tells us otherwise.

So it is your move Nicola. The First Minister has obviously considered what she would do in the event of the Prime Minister using her trump card, that Westminster, or more accurately Downing Street has to agree to grant powers for a referendum to be held.

While there is not at the moment enough public support for a referendum according to opinion polls, which are obviously infallible, that could change.

And what event could see a shift in the opinion polls in favour of a referendum.

How will the people of Scotland take to a Tory Prime Minister telling the Scottish Parliament after it votes next week in favour of a referendum that you can’t have one?

It will come across to many as the Tories in Downing Street telling the Scottish people to remember just who the boss in this devolution relationship is.

Ms Sturgeon says she has a mandate to call a referendum. It was after all in the SNP manifesto. A “material change in circumstances” like being taken out of the EU against the wishes of a majority of the country.

That is what has happened and that is why the First Minister can legitimately call for a referendum.

In other works ‘We are living in a materially changed world and I am a material change girl’ so give me my referendum.

The First Minister is on more solid ground than the Greens on the issue. They will support the SNP on this but their pre-election commitment set a higher bar.

It said that a referendum should take place when for example a citizen led initiative signed by one million people on the electoral register calls for one.

After the election Mr Harvie said the greens would support the SNP if it brought forward plans for a second poll.

Without that initiative or level of support Mr Harvie and his five colleagues risk rendering previous statements on one of their policies worthless.

But the key question is whose gamble will pay off?

Nicola Sturgeon, hoping that Tory lecturing will rile Scots into action or Theresa May, hoping the Tories are in fact in tune with majority public opinion.