he said, recent tensions between the parties over the scrapping of key climate targeting in scotland had convinced him to go it alone. the party will return to minority rule with immediate effect. the scottish tory leader douglas ross announced at this morning's first minister's questions he would be tabling a vote of no-confidence, a vote we are expecting next week. the scottish labour leader has called for a snap election. let's speak to the columnist for the times and author of "th united kingdom." good to have you with us. not very long ago, the first minister said that agreement was worth its weight in gold. why has the balance shifted? ian: i think the gold standard has been devalued. that's for sure. it's very difficult to know exactly what happened. people are still trying to disentangle it from various rumors and such likes has been going around. late last night, they clearly decided that he could not afford to wait around for the minority scottish green party to decide on its extreme emergency general meeting next month that it was going to possibly detach itself from the a