Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Scottish independence campaign ahead in poll for first time

-

A new opinion poll being published on Sunday put Scotland's pro-independence camp ahead for the first time in the campaign, just 11 days before the referendum on splitting from Britain.

The YouGov/Sunday Times poll gave the "Yes" camp 51 percent support compared to the "No" camp's 49 percent, excluding undecided voters.

Although the two-point lead is within the margin of error, the findings dramatically up the stakes ahead of the vote on September 18, handing valuable momentum to First Minister Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party (SNP).

The Sunday Times also reported that Queen Elizabeth II now feels "a great deal of concern" over the independence vote and has asked for daily updates.

The government of Prime Minister David Cameron is now expected to reveal last-minute concessions -- including the devolution of more powers to Scots -- in a bid to keep the 300-year-old union alive.

Any vote for Scotland to leave Britain would be a landmark event raising a string of questions about Britain's standing in the international community, and putting pressure on Cameron to stand down.

Scotland represents one-third of Britain's landmass and is home to Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent, which the SNP says must be out of Scotland by 2020 in the event of independence.

- 'Down to the wire' -

A dancer performs during the Braemar Gathering in Braemar  central Scotland  on September 6  2014
A dancer performs during the Braemar Gathering in Braemar, central Scotland, on September 6, 2014
Andy Buchanan, AFP

The Better Together campaign, which backs Scotland staying in Britain, has been ahead in opinion polls across the board for months but its lead has narrowed in recent days.

The "No" camp had a 22-point lead in YouGov polling just one month ago.

But another YouGov survey for The Times newspaper on Tuesday showed a marked narrowing of the gap to six points.

In response to the latest poll, Alistair Darling, leader of the Better Together campaign, said it showed the referendum "will go down to the wire".

"We relish this battle," he added. "It is not the Battle of Britain -- it is the battle for Scotland, for Scotland's children and grandchildren and the generations to come. This is a battle we will win."

A second poll commissioned by the "Yes" camp is also being published on Sunday and shows the "No" camp are still four points ahead.

The Panelbase poll put "No" on 52 percent and "Yes" on 48 percent, excluding undecideds.

The chief executive of the "Yes" campaign, Blair Jenkins, urged his side to remain focused on the campaign.

He added of the YouGov survey: "While this poll puts us marginally ahead, other polls show that we still have more progress to make if we are to win.

"We will be working flat out between now and 18 September to ensure that we achieve a Yes vote."

- Queen's 'concern' -

Salmond says Queen Elizabeth will remain head of state of an independent Scotland but the Sunday Times quoted an aide as saying this was "not a given".

"The Queen is a unionist," it quoted an unnamed senior royal source as saying. "There is now a great deal of concern."

The British monarch has a home at Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands and on Saturday made her traditional visit to the Highland Games at nearby Braemar to watch pursuits like caber tossing.

Cameron is due to visit Balmoral on Sunday, arranged before the poll was published.

He would face pressure from some lawmakers to stand down if there was a "Yes" vote, the Sunday Times reported, although he insisted again on Thursday that he would not quit if that happened.

His Conservative Party is unpopular in Scotland, where they are often seen as elitist and out of touch with Scottish concerns.

The party has just one lawmaker in the House of Commons out of 59 Scottish seats.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown, a Scot, blamed Conservative policies for holding back support for the union in a Sunday Mirror article.

The YouGov/Sunday Times poll also showed that pro-union campaigners such as Darling and Cameron were also trusted less than Salmond and his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon.

In response to the narrowing polls, the "No" campaign is reportedly set to announce measures to devolve more powers to Scotland.

The Observer newspaper reported that an announcement was expected within days on plans to let Scots decide on a federalised future for their country after intensive cross-party talks.

A new opinion poll being published on Sunday put Scotland’s pro-independence camp ahead for the first time in the campaign, just 11 days before the referendum on splitting from Britain.

The YouGov/Sunday Times poll gave the “Yes” camp 51 percent support compared to the “No” camp’s 49 percent, excluding undecided voters.

Although the two-point lead is within the margin of error, the findings dramatically up the stakes ahead of the vote on September 18, handing valuable momentum to First Minister Alex Salmond’s Scottish National Party (SNP).

The Sunday Times also reported that Queen Elizabeth II now feels “a great deal of concern” over the independence vote and has asked for daily updates.

The government of Prime Minister David Cameron is now expected to reveal last-minute concessions — including the devolution of more powers to Scots — in a bid to keep the 300-year-old union alive.

Any vote for Scotland to leave Britain would be a landmark event raising a string of questions about Britain’s standing in the international community, and putting pressure on Cameron to stand down.

Scotland represents one-third of Britain’s landmass and is home to Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent, which the SNP says must be out of Scotland by 2020 in the event of independence.

– ‘Down to the wire’ –

A dancer performs during the Braemar Gathering in Braemar  central Scotland  on September 6  2014

A dancer performs during the Braemar Gathering in Braemar, central Scotland, on September 6, 2014
Andy Buchanan, AFP

The Better Together campaign, which backs Scotland staying in Britain, has been ahead in opinion polls across the board for months but its lead has narrowed in recent days.

The “No” camp had a 22-point lead in YouGov polling just one month ago.

But another YouGov survey for The Times newspaper on Tuesday showed a marked narrowing of the gap to six points.

In response to the latest poll, Alistair Darling, leader of the Better Together campaign, said it showed the referendum “will go down to the wire”.

“We relish this battle,” he added. “It is not the Battle of Britain — it is the battle for Scotland, for Scotland’s children and grandchildren and the generations to come. This is a battle we will win.”

A second poll commissioned by the “Yes” camp is also being published on Sunday and shows the “No” camp are still four points ahead.

The Panelbase poll put “No” on 52 percent and “Yes” on 48 percent, excluding undecideds.

The chief executive of the “Yes” campaign, Blair Jenkins, urged his side to remain focused on the campaign.

He added of the YouGov survey: “While this poll puts us marginally ahead, other polls show that we still have more progress to make if we are to win.

“We will be working flat out between now and 18 September to ensure that we achieve a Yes vote.”

– Queen’s ‘concern’ –

Salmond says Queen Elizabeth will remain head of state of an independent Scotland but the Sunday Times quoted an aide as saying this was “not a given”.

“The Queen is a unionist,” it quoted an unnamed senior royal source as saying. “There is now a great deal of concern.”

The British monarch has a home at Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands and on Saturday made her traditional visit to the Highland Games at nearby Braemar to watch pursuits like caber tossing.

Cameron is due to visit Balmoral on Sunday, arranged before the poll was published.

He would face pressure from some lawmakers to stand down if there was a “Yes” vote, the Sunday Times reported, although he insisted again on Thursday that he would not quit if that happened.

His Conservative Party is unpopular in Scotland, where they are often seen as elitist and out of touch with Scottish concerns.

The party has just one lawmaker in the House of Commons out of 59 Scottish seats.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown, a Scot, blamed Conservative policies for holding back support for the union in a Sunday Mirror article.

The YouGov/Sunday Times poll also showed that pro-union campaigners such as Darling and Cameron were also trusted less than Salmond and his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon.

In response to the narrowing polls, the “No” campaign is reportedly set to announce measures to devolve more powers to Scotland.

The Observer newspaper reported that an announcement was expected within days on plans to let Scots decide on a federalised future for their country after intensive cross-party talks.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

World

Calling for urgent action is the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

World

Immigration is a symptom of a much deeper worldwide problem.

Business

Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin Nasser speaks during the CERAWeek oil summit in Houston, Texas - Copyright AFP Mark FelixPointing to the still...

Business

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal infers that some workers might be falling out of the job market altogether.