The Times report actually opens with:
Boris Johnson has said that a Scottish independence referendum “is as far from the top of my agenda as it is possible to be,” dashing nationalist hopes of a vote in this parliament.
So, he can ‘dash our hopes’ can he? We’ll see about that.
And ‘tempering?’ That has another well-known meaning:
Improve the hardness and elasticity of (steel or other metal) by reheating and then cooling it, “the way a smith would temper a sword”
I won’t mention Braveheart.
Talking-up Scotland 
Best recruiting Sargent ever
We the Scottish people ARE the sovereign power
Have none tell you otherwise
It is not in his gift
It is ours and ours alone
And when and never if we become Independent
Then not only Boris but the whole of English society will soon find out what lies at the very top of their in tray as we go out
And what would that agenda be
Bankruptcy
Loss of Trident
Loss of UN permanent seat
Loss of what little prestige left in their
Almost barren cupboard
A most urgent need to confront reality
And deal with the massive unsolvable problems they have
All unlikely till a civil war hopefully solves it for them
A 1000 yrs of abject poverty
Tell Boris to gan awa an bile his heid
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And to add to my previous comment
I assure all that not only Boris but all who purport to thinking they can deny us our
Sovereign rights
Make no mistake each and every one
Of them no matter how great or powerful they think they are
2 words aptly fit their reality and status
” Paper Tigers”
We must all realise that and inform them of such
Challenge them to roar
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The only Scottish “agenda” Boris ever had, was publishing a genocidal, hate-speech poem, racist objections to Gordo Broon becoming PM, and numerous cheap, nasty and condescending remarks about Scots.
Time for Sturgeon to step up, announce a referendum in late 2022 (after the UK economy having recovered, according to forecasts), and fight Boris in the courts.
There is nothing left for Scotland to lose, and if action is not taken, I fear the ballot box route will be abandoned.
Starmer is now linking a referendum to “climate change”.
What next? The second coming? A colony on Mars?
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Maybe Starmer is referring to the fact that England is literally sinking and Scotland is rising (pray, all hail, or rain, Scotland!) and so when the inevitable happens in a few decades, and England is all pretty much under the sea, Scotland will be independent lol! Get in the sea, as we say in Scotland, Starmer you Tory.
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Boris Johnson is a clown and a liar but what does it say about a supposedly intelligent journalist’s grasp of Scottish politics that he thinks this PM has ANY influence on a democratically elected Government ?
The Times , they are a changin’ !
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Well now it says, terrified of being loecked up for 14 years for ’embarassing the (English) government’.
Ps there is no such thing as Scottish journalism except online.
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Yet again A CORRUPT LYING ENGLISH MP TELLING SCOTS
WAT WE CANNOT DO
WELL ALL YOU FREEDOM WANTING SCOTS
MUST PUSH OUR LEADERS TO START THE OUR INDEPENDENCE
MOVE
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Och Johnson is just trying to scare the feart, don’t fash yourselves. Everyone knows what his ‘agenda’ is, and it’s to keep taking from the poorest to give to the rich and for his pals to keep lining their pockets from public money in the UKOK. He can’t be taken seriously, well, except by a few followers like Dross and Bowie, licking his boots at every opportunity, lol! Little slimey jobsworths that they are.
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