At last the end is in sight for the three-century-old Scottish union with England, a union that has resulted in the domination of Scotland by its larger neighbour. A series of opinion polls, conducted months apart, have shown a consistent rise in support for Scottish independence. At the same time the Scottish National Party (SNP) remains well ahead of the Scottish pro-union political parties. Suggesting an outright majority for the SNP in next year's elections to the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba), with a predicted 57 per cent share of constituency voting.