David Cameron Should Support an Independence Referendum

And not, my English nationalist chums, so that he can bid good riddance to those troublesome, and endlessly grumbling, Scots. Rather lost amidst the Megrahi Fallout was the news that Wee Eck and his merry band of mischief-makers are pressing ahead with their plans for a 2011 referendum on the independence question. This despite the fact that, as matters stand, there’s no majority with which to pass the referendum bill at Holyrood.

Nevertheless it’s a bill that merits support, not least because the issue will have to be resolved at some point. That being so, it falls to the Conservatives to call Salmond’s bluff (he may not see it as such but that’s a different matter) and uge him to press on. Clearly that’s subject to agreeing upon a suitable question and, crucially, how many options there will be. As Brian Taylor says, it suits Salmond to have a multi-option referendum – that is one that includes a “more powers for the Scottish Parliament” choice – but it suits the opposition for the question to be asked in a straight, indeed simple, Yes or No format.