The National:

HOW times change.

In 2014, BBC journalist Andrew Marr was accused of voicing anti-independence views during an interview with former first minister Alex Salmond.

Glasgow-born Marr told Salmond it would be “quite hard” for an independent Scotland to rejoin the EU – to which the former FM asked if that was “Andrew Marr analysis” or the BBC’s official point of view.

And just last month Marr suggested the independence cause is a Russian plot during an episode of his programme.

READ MORE: WATCH: Andrew Marr suggests Scottish independence is Russian plot

But it seems that slowly but surely the latest polling on independence could be sinking in among Westminster journalists.

How can they act as if independence is some bizarre scheme when polls consistently demonstrate the majority of Scots will vote for it?

Whether 54%, 53% or 55% as recent surveys have shown, there’s no denying support for Yes is ahead of support for the Union.

Writing in The Spectator yesterday, Marr admitted that it’s “likely” Scotland will be independent before the end of this UK parliament.

Detailing his recent travels around the UK – which included trips to Fife and Perthshire – Marr says that the difference in attitudes to the pandemic between London and Scotland is “almost tangible”.

He says he found people are “much more likely” to wear a mask and be cautious, while they “listen attentively” to the First Minister.

He goes on: “The opinion polls confirm what general conversation suggests: that Scotland is likely to leave the United Kingdom before the end of this parliament.

“The SNP may be having feuds but they are self-confident, vigorous and optimistic. Unionism seems muffled and tired by comparison.”

It’s wild to see a long-time BBC figure like Marr make these kinds of statements – but don’t get ahead of yourself. This isn’t some sudden focus on Scotland.

He spends much more time writing about the consequences of independence on England than anything else in this article.

He continues: “If independence happens, the end of GB is going to be a more traumatic moment for England than today’s ministers seem able to grasp.

“It’s going to feel much more significant than Brexit. The future of basic aspects of identity, like the Union Flag, the name of the country, its defence system, and the scope of its territory will be in question.

“Perhaps the PM grasps this. But his premiership may be defined by this and Unionists will need a far cleverer and more passionate politics than anything we have seen so far from Boris Johnson — or indeed, Keir Starmer.”

It might be a bit late to be worrying about that now.