Nobody mansions democracy in the E U anymore.
Well they certainly don't mention it in Spain. A couple of days ago nine of their leading politicians were jailed for up to thirteen years for organising an unofficial poll on independence. The EU (which, we are led to believe, labours tirelessly to preserve freedom and democracy) has not uttered a dickie bird. Instead it has decided that the matter of the lengthy incarceration of politicians for holding a view contrary to the national government is an internal affair and has not commented. Different, of course, to its treatment of Poland's ruling Law & Justice party. The European Commission has recently referred Poland to the EU's top court for the third time over a new system for disciplining judges. The move came just before the October 13 parliamentary election (which the L&J Party won) and marks yet another effort by Brussels to rein in the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party government's bid to bring the judicial system under tighter political control.
So, organise an unofficial referendum, end up behind bars for 13 years, and it is nothing to do with the EU. Try to bring tighter political control to your country's courts - and get re-elected in the meantime - and you're up before the EU's own Beak.
Still, since the PM seems adamant he will not countenance a second Scottish referendum I suppose we could encourage Ms Sturgeon to organise one of her own. Perhaps we can look forward to seeing her carted off for a spell in HMP Corton Vale.