A SECOND referendum would definitively settle the issue of whether Scotland should be independent, the SNP's former communications chief has suggested.
Kevin Pringle said the only way to break the political "logjam" if to have another referendum and "then one way or another that is it", even if Yes lose.
He made the comments in an episode of The Herald's Brian Taylor Podcast.
Elsewhere, Scottish Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton insisted First Minister Nicola Sturgeon does not have a mandate to hold another referendum.
She said Ms Sturgeon "must be incredibly disappointed" by the election result, which saw the SNP return 64 MSPs, up one, while the Tories secured 31.
She told the podcast: "She's hardly made any headway. She has a net gain of one, and that must be a huge disappointment to her as the leader of the SNP."
Mr Pringle was previously a special adviser to Alex Salmond and was later the SNP's strategic communications director, before stepping down in 2015.
He said the constitutional argument is going to feature in "election after election after election".
He said: "I think the only way to really break the logjam is actually to have the referendum and then one way or another that is it."
Brian Taylor asked: "If the SNP lose, that's it? You'd give up the aim of independence?"
Mr Pringle responded: "Personally, I believe that to be the case."
He added: "I believe that. That's my personal belief.
"You can look at international examples in Quebec, where that's been the case.
"If people believe...that the case for the Union would prevail, then I think the way to break the logjam here would be therefore to have the referendum.
"Both sides would go into it very confident. I would be very confident that Yes would win."
He said the way to "consensually, democratically resolve the issue would be to put it to the people in a referendum during the term of this Scottish Parliament".
Also appearing on the podcast, Scottish Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy said: "A referendum was not on the ballot paper.
"What was on the ballot paper were jobs, the NHS, education and getting all of those things back on track."
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