IT has not been a good time recently for the silent majority.

As the hysterical hyperbole about Brexit, independence and climate change gets ever louder and more aggressive, the majority have had not much choice but to remain quiet. Very quiet indeed, and for politicians probably dangerously so.

While the liberal metropolitan elite tear themselves to shreds about leaving the EU without a deal and what that means for toilet paper supplies, the silent ones just carry on their daily business regardless.

Brexit supporters are, if anything, even louder with their hysterical screeching about taking back control of our borders.

It’s the same with the independence debate as both sides make lavish claims about Scotland being either plunged back into the dark ages or becoming the richest nation on earth.

Both sides, of course, are talking nonsense.

Now climate change is also getting the shouty treatment.

On one side, there are the deniers who ignore the clear-cut science that the earth is heating up which spells disaster for all, meanwhile, the hardcore activists claim we’ll all be dead in a fortnight unless we eat only grass and drink water.

They also believe their beliefs give them carte blanche to bring cities to a standstill to save the planet while ignoring the pollution from the congestion their own protests cause. Hypocrisy has no bounds when there’s a cause to be fought for. Any believer in a cause thinks theirs is the most important and those who disagree are wrong, or worse.

But amidst all this discord and chaos, the silent majority have done what they always do - they have remained resolutely silent.

It’s not that they don’t care about the issues, they just don’t like talking about them much. They don’t wear t-shirts proclaiming they recycle household waste, have a yes or a no badge on their lapels or have a Leave or Remain car sticker.

They would much rather talk about other things. But people should ignore them at their peril because the silent majority, as ever, hold the balance of power in the next election or referendum.

The silent majority don’t do polls so it’s impossible to tell how they’re thinking, but their contribution to the current state of affairs will be the most devastating of all as they deliver their verdicts as always - in a polling booth with a pencil as they cast their votes.

Quietly, of course, but politicians will get their message loud and clear as they lose their seats. Empty vessels make the most noise but the silent just keep marching on.