Few events are as eagerly anticipated in Scotland as the release of a bombshell new poll. Unionists and nationalists eagerly refresh their Twitter feeds at the anointed hour, awaiting to praise or castigate the company in question for its latest figures on the all important question of independence. For both sides know the figures will be seized on by the media as ‘proof’ that their side is winning, their cause is just and their campaign’s triumph inevitable.
One poll that made more headlines than most was a Savanta ComRes survey in December which found that support for a ‘Yes’ vote to Scotland leaving the Union was polling at 52 per cent compared to ‘No’ on 48 per cent. Excluding ‘Don’t Knows’ the figure backing ‘Yes’ rose to 58 per cent, with the Scotsman noting it was ‘a return to record high levels of support for independence.’ The findings were trumpeted by nationalists both online and offline with SNP MP Pete Wishart crowing
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