http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/pdfs/2007_dec_sunday_telegraph_union_poll.pdf

Some interesting points.

Firstly on the issue of a UK football team, Women are far keener than men, and where as people in England are two to one in favour, Scots are split fifty fifty.

On the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union, only a quarter of those in England were aware of it as opposed to half of those in Scotland.

On English votes for English issues it was again two to one, but this time across the whole UK, with Scotland as in favour as in England.

On spending per head it’s the picture we are familiar with, only a quarter in England think it’s justified as opposed to half of Scots.

On whether England would be worse off without Scotland it’s a bit of a mix, close to two thirds in both Scotland and England think it wouldn’t make much of a difference with the rest split fairly evenly between better and worse.

Fewer in Scotland seem to think it would be better off, and about one in five in England worse of, as opposed to almost half of Scotland. So Scotland thinks the UK needs it more than the rest of the UK does.

The How long will the Union last question gives a real mixed bag of results although I think that might be because it gives six options.

As to whether people want Independence the message is a lot clearer, seventy percent North and South want it to continue, although from the point of view of England without the perceived subsidy.

With regards to the future, the status quo has a third support with all the other options lower, one in five support an English Parliament.

just over half think Labour and Tory stand up equally for England, but the Tories have a clear lead when people make a choice, I think that highlights the problem for Cameron in anything that looks to weaken the Union.

So what does this all tell us? Well for what it’s worth my take is that it’s back to our old friend salience. Beyond the media village the whole issue of Independence and the West Lothian Question isn’t a burning issue in England.

There are irritations about voting and public spending, but nothing that will really be a significant factor in the next election. I suppose I should also admit that disappointingly for the SNP there is still a strong sentiment for the Union to endure and that may well be of real importance if it comes to a referendum.

Peter.

You can take this as a partisan post or you might want to risk an early £10 on a pre election bet based on info from the inside.

Peter.

I would agree that it would be unlikely for Tories to take Argyll & Bute at next election – but not that the Lib Dem incumbent will retain it. The SNP win in May was pretty conclusive and unless they stumble in Holyrood, I doubt the LD will hold them off on the Westminster seat.

From The Scotsman:-

Trump 101 The Way to Success lists “Aberdeen Golf Club, Scotland” in a section on Trump Organisation golf clubs.

A spokesman for RSPB Scotland, one of the environmental groups opposing the Menie scheme, claimed: “The fact that Mr Trump can publish a book which states that not only does he own a golf course in Aberdeen but also implies that it is consented, constructed and operational, gives a very clear signal of the regard with which he holds the decision-making process and the decision-makers themselves.”

Something about supping with the Devil & the length of Spoons comes to mind.

“Who says politicians aren’t driven by principle rather than expediency”?,

Unless it just isn’t expedient to be seen as unprincipled.

Peter.

I live in Argyll and Bute and I can’t see the Conservatives taking the Westminster seat back.

The LibDem MP improved his position last time round.

Looking at the Tories we see the opposite with only 61% of those who vote Tory at Holyrood voting Tory for Westminster, with the big winner the SNP picking up 21%. Indeed the SNP seems benefit most at Westminster from tactical voting by all parties.

There are many once loyal Tory voters in Scotland who are prepared to vote for pragmatic one nation Conservatives in a modern and co-operative parliament who are terrified by free-market fundamentalists and English nationalists in the Westminster parliament whose natural home is UKIP.

If the Scottish Conservatives became independant and agreed to support a referendum, would that demonstrate “a lot of contrition”?

Non-tory voters also perceive Annabel Goldie’s team to be more reasonable and lessimage fixated so the problem might not be as great as you imagine. I think that Scottish Conservatives are actually doing quite well, considering the problems they have, and of they broke from the UK party (Bavarian style) they could do themselves a lot of good.

There are more than a few economic right wingers in the SNP, and I could see a coalition working, but only if the Conservatives were separate.

Of course the English Conservatives would be better off if they dumped the Scottish party. Who says politicians aren’t driven by principle rather than expediency?

Many of those opposed have asked Trump repeatedly for a redesign to work around the SSSI site, but he has refused. The SSSI site is a relatively small but special area, given the overall 450-hectare size of the whole development, and given the number of structures destined for the site.

SNH and RSPB along with other environmental groups are totally opposed to the destruction of the SSSI, and many have fears that other similar sites will be in danger in the future if this precedent is set.

The proposal breaches the local plan in respect of coastal development etc as well as destroying part of a SSSI. Trump did not appeal the local decision interestingly. Whether with or without his “influence” on SNP politicians-they called it in.
Since this is a forum on opinion polls it was interesting that the electronic poll which Aberdeen journals was running, was pulled late on the 4th Dec’, early 5th Dec’. At that time, the poll was circa 58.3% against the proposal, compared to a 41.7% vote for.

I don’t know whether Salmond has done anything illegal-but he has certainly been careless in his pusuit of “The Scottish Cringe”-I hope that this now means it will be difficult for the SE to take a decision without a Public Enquiry.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article3255607.ece

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1907907.0.0.php

It’s worth noting that it didn’t include a more powers for the existing parliament question and that Scottish Independence polls are notoriously volatile.

Peter.