WAS it a political stunt? Yes. Was it an effective political stunt? Absolutely.

When Ian Blackford SNP Westminster leader refused to sit down when Speaker John Bercow told him to while he was challenging the time given to debate powers being retained by the UK Parliament after Brexit, he knew exactly what he was doing.

He knew the speaker, with his authority challenged by an unruly MP, would consult the clerks in front as to the rules.

He knew they would reply “Ye Olde Westminster Dusty Book of Rules says, ‘chuck him out’.”

When the party’s MPs then stood up and filed out of the chamber they also knew what they were doing. I would even guess it had been discussed beforehand.

However, the effect it has had is to turn up the spotlight on the implications for Scottish Devolution in the wake of Brexit.

Powers over devolved issues hat should be the domain of Holyrood will instead be retained when they are returned from the EU, by The UK Government in London.

This is despite the Scottish Government stating its opposition and the Scottish Parliament refusing to give legislative consent.

It means the principle of Legislative Consent, a key convention flowing from the original Scotland Act and setting up of devolution is worthless.

It is a convention, not a hard and fast rule and the UK Government always has the final say on anything and everything.

When the UK Government feels the need to or just feels like it can pass a law that affects Scotland whether the issue is devolved or not.

By walking out of the Parliament, the SNP MPs have brought this to the attention to the masses who may otherwise have allowed the goings on in the House of Commons to just wash over.

It has also lead to an increase of an extra 5000 and counting new members to the SNP.When some parties are struggling to keep the members, they have never mind attract new one, this is a remarkable feat.

That is at least 150 new SNP members for every MP who walked out, assuming they were all in the chamber.

It means thousands more SNP members who will be more likely to play an active part in campaigning for independence instead of just voting for the party, giving it a better chance of winning elections and a referendum, should it come around again.

A petty, empty, meaningless stunt. I don’t think so.