Despite Salmond's assertion that internal canvassing suggests otherwise, opinion polls have yet to demonstrate that the approval ratings for the SNP are translating into anything approaching majority support for independence. There is, though, no guarantee that the Scottish Parliament will vote to have the referendum, and that may well be his get-out-of-jail-free card.
For lose the referendum, and where does he – and nationalism – go? But continue to enjoy high approval ratings in government, continue to supplant Labour with a left-leaning agenda, increase his majority next time round at a time the Tories rule at Westminster or there is a hung parliament, and more and more power is likely to be ceded to Holyrood. He has been called a constitutional gradualist, and his softly-softly approach is delivering, big time
It's The Union, not Salmond, which most needs this referendum to take place.
5 comments:
I, as a unionist am al for the referendum, as one politician said "Bring it on!".
We should all vote on whether we want to continue the Union.
It might even make the British Government realise that it has to take England's concerns into account as well.
Of course, there's always the (admittedly remote) possibility of the delicious irony of everyone voting to keep the Union except the English "oppressors"...
O'Neill - it's a fair point that the unionist could gain much more from a referendum than the nationalists. A no vote would shelf the matter for another 20 years while a blocked referendum would just increase nationalist feelings. Such thinking is way too advanced for the Scottish Unionist Parties though!
wildgoose - in such a vote, what would you see happening if Scotland said yes and England no?
Hen,
No idea to be honest. I'd just love the consternation amongst the politicians!
However you are assuming that the vote would be on whether Scotland remained part of the Union. That is not England's decision to make - England can only decide on whether England remains part of the Union. In other words, England would be also rejecting union with Northern Ireland and Wales as well.
wildgoose - that makes more sense. I thought you were proposing an all UK referendum where seperation would only happen if the majority of the UK said yes.
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