SO, at last, more than two and a half years after it kicked the can down the line with a moratorium, the Scottish Government has made its position clear: fracking won’t be happening in Scotland.

As would have been the case if the decision had gone the other way, the reaction has been mixed; those who oppose the practice - predominantly on environmental grounds - feel vindicated, while energy giant Ineos, which employs thousands of workers in Scotland and had hoped to diversify into fracking, are bitterly disappointed to say the least.

The announcement by energy minister Paul Wheelhouse comes at an interesting juncture, of course. The SNP conference is just days away, with most grassroots members strongly opposed to fracking. Nicola Sturgeon can now claim to have taken a strong environmental stand.

Elsewhere, the SNP minority government now relies on others to get its policies through, not least Green MSPs.

Then there is the fact that only a few weeks ago the chief scientist at Heriot-Watt University, Prof John Underhill, concluded that fracking is not viable in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK due to the rock structure.

Whether, then, this was a decision taken by the SNP on principle or with political expediency in mind, remains moot. At least, however, there is now clarity on the matter.