The November drizzle spitting down on the handful of doughty SNP MPs huddled outside the Supreme Court in London on Wednesday seemed as predictable as the final judgement being delivered inside.

The resounding legal opinion from the highest court in the land that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate for a second independence referendum did nothing to dampen the spirit of the nationalist politicians, who simply dismissed it as yet another Unionist block on their journey to independence.

“This changes nothing,” said one. “The arguments for independence remain the same.”

It is true that very few seriously believed the Supreme Court might deliver anything other than an unequivocal “no” to a referendum without the agreement of Westminster – which still begs the question of why Nicola Sturgeon really went down this route – but it does not alter the nationalists’ arguments for separation.

What has undeniably changed in recent days, however, is the language used to make those arguments and it is Sturgeon herself that has set this new tone describing Scotland as being held prisoner – an unwilling partner in a Union holding it captive.

She may have fought the law and the law won, but now she talks about “Westminster law” and the underlying message is no longer a legal one, but a political one about the injustice of where power lies, and one which encourages an ugly inclination in her support.

The way Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, was berated by independence supporters at last week’s rally outside Holyrood in response to the judgement, for having the temerity to be outside the parliament he was democratically elected to, was telling.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters