The exhausted Scottish National Party clings to power, for now

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the first meeting of the modern Scottish Parliament. It was a moment of celebration. Dr. Winifred Ewing of the Scottish National Party (SNP), presiding as the oldest member, told the assembled legislators, “I want to begin with the words that I have always wanted either to say or to hear someone else say: the Scottish Parliament, which adjourned on 25 March 1707, is hereby reconvened.”

This was not legally true, as the new body had no continuity from...