Nicola Sturgeon finds a dozen ways to say 'retreat'

Scottish First Minister abandons plan to call referendum

One of the rules of politics is that it's ok to flip-flop or change plans but it's never ok to admit it. That's a particularly tough rule to follow in a black-and-white issue like "we will hold a referendum in two years."

But you don't get to the top without skills so Sturgeon is saying that many Scots "want a break from big decisions" and is "re-setting" the plan for another referendum.

What she couldn't say: We bled support and seats in the latest election because polls show less than 45% of Scottish people want independence and that's all we talk about when we should be working to build the economy and create jobs.