Scottish Independence, Yay or Nay?? ( Archived) (36)

The campaign to tear Scotland out of the United Kingdom has failed to gain any ground despite the launch of the Scottish National Party’s long-awaited prospectus for independence.

An exclusive poll of more than 1100 Scots for The Mail on Sunday has revealed that only 27 per cent of voters plan to vote yes in next year’s referendum, while 56 per cent intend to vote no and 17 per cent still don’t know how they will vote.

It means that support for Scottish independence is still trailing far behind the pro-Union campaign – and remains at the same level as an identical Mail on Sunday poll carried out in September.

The poll was the first carried out since the SNP launched its ‘white paper’ on independence, which was supposed to provide details of every aspect of what an independent Scotland would look like.



Since last Tuesday’s launch, the SNP have come under fire for failing to provide a ‘plan B’ on currency if they fail to secure a pound-sharing currency union with the rest of the UK following a yes vote, and for failing to accept the demands that other EU countries may place on them in order to grant a separate Scotland EU membership.
Alistair Darling, chairman of the pro-Union Better Together campaign, said: ‘The SNP’s manifesto for breaking up the UK completely failed to pass even the basic tests.
‘They failed to offer a plan for what currency we would use if, as seems increasingly certain, the rest of the UK say no to Scotland keeping the pound, they failed to tell us anything about how much independence would cost us and their wish list of false promises lacked any sort of price list.
‘And their claims that we could leave the UK without losing anything fell apart when the Spanish Prime Minister said that leaving the UK meant leaving the EU.
‘What was extraordinary was that the only new policy they announced was something that they could deliver now because childcare is already the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament and the SNP Government.
‘This poll confirms that Scots are choosing devolution in the UK over separation from the UK. But we cannot be complacent for one moment.’
Mid Scotland and Fife is the part of Scotland with most support for the Union, with 67 per cent of voters intending to vote no.
Surprisingly, another stronghold for the Better Together campaign is North East Scotland, where the SNP has been most successful in recent years, where 64 per cent intend to vote no and only 26 per cent intend to vote yes.
Support for the Union increases with age, with 63 per cent of the over-55s intending to vote no, compared to 42 per cent of 18-24-year-olds.
On the question of household finances, top earners were more likely to think they would be worse off in an independent Scotland – which is a clear sign that voters fear savage tax rises – with 54 per cent of those in the ABC1 social grade thinking their household would be worse off in an independent Scotland, compared to 45 per cent of people in the C2DE social grades.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: ‘We take nothing for granted and continue the fight to keep our United Kingdom together.
‘The majority of the Scottish people have seen through the empty prospectus of the white paper and have recognised it is little more than an uncosted wishlist.
‘Scotland is better off as part of one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the developed world, with a stable currency and a fully funded pensions system.
‘In stark contrast, the SNP’s White Paper featured just a single page on how a separate Scotland would be paid for, which beggars belief.’
Drew Smith, Scottish Labour's constitutional spokesman, said: ‘The SNP promised the White Paper would be a game changer but it would appear it has had no impact on the people of Scotland who just don't share the SNP's obsession with the constitution.’


REf Yahoo. news

I'm still a don't know!!!!!!!!

The independence plan is far from perfect but I'm more worried about what will happen to us if we don't achieve self rule than if we do.

To have a government that is directly answerable to us and that must pay heed would be wonderful so it's an idealistic AYE from me.

P.S. Salmond will be oot after the deed is done.

Which treaty are you talking about???

This debate is for the Scots to decide as they have to live with whatever consequences come about from whichever way the vote goes.

If they win the right to self government ,some may live to regret it.

If they lose the right there are others that will also regret it.

You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time.


Que sera sera.