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In the aftermath of Scotland's referendum, worst possible news for Labor

Monday, November 3rd 2014 - 08:16 UTC
Full article 61 comments
The YouGov Sunday poll for the Times newspaper put support for independence at 52% against 48% who wanted to stay in the union The YouGov Sunday poll for the Times newspaper put support for independence at 52% against 48% who wanted to stay in the union
Another survey suggests Labor and leader Miliband face virtual annihilation in Scotland at the hands of the pro-independence Scottish National Party Another survey suggests Labor and leader Miliband face virtual annihilation in Scotland at the hands of the pro-independence Scottish National Party

A majority of Scots would back independence if another referendum were held this Sunday, according to a public opinion poll, just six weeks after Scotland voted against leaving the United Kingdom.

 The YouGov poll for the Times newspaper put support for independence at 52% against 48% who wanted to stay in the union. By including those who would not vote or do not know, the split was 49% favor of a split and 45% against.

In September's referendum, 55% of Scots voted against independence.

The opinion poll that was published on Sunday also brought more bad news for the leader of Britain's opposition Labor party, Ed Miliband, who hopes to oust Conservative leader David Cameron as prime minister in next May's national election.

Among Scots overall, only 22% surveyed by YouGov thought Labor represented Scotland's views and interests well while 65% thought it represented them badly.

In the past week, Scottish Labor leader Johann Lamont has resigned and another survey has suggested Labor faces virtual annihilation in Scotland at the hands of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, which controls the devolved parliament in Edinburgh, if an election were held now.

Lamont quit after accusing the Labor party of treating Scotland as a “branch office”, a charge Miliband denied.

Labor has traditionally dominated Scottish politics and won 41 of 59 Scottish seats in the British parliament in the last national election in 2010.

In the run-up to the independence referendum, politicians from all Britain's major parties promised Scots a much greater say in their own affairs if they rejected secession, but have since squabbled over how to follow through on their promises.

The United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England is home to about 85% of the total UK population.

Categories: Politics, International.

Top Comments

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  • Britworker

    It's easy to be brave and vocal after the fact knowing full well it makes no difference whatsoever. They are getting their devolved powers and every single thing they have asked for and the miserable sods are still complaining!! They have free prescriptions, tuition fees and more per capita spent on them than any other part of the UK.

    I don't hear the matter of what currency they would be spending being mentioned or the fact that oil prices are at rock bottom ( the independence manifesto always calculated them as high to achieve their mythical spending ).

    They are the baby that never stops crying for its bottle.

    Nov 03rd, 2014 - 08:53 am 0
  • Englander

    Scots should be made to vote again until they get it right.

    Nov 03rd, 2014 - 09:28 am 0
  • Conqueror

    The important thing is that they aren't getting another referendum. I always wonder who YouGov asks in order to get these results. Anyway part of the agreement that allowed the first referendum was that there would be no more votes on independence for 50 years.

    But why the switch? Well, Salmond's gone for a start. So they have to keep the pot boiling. After all, They're starting to hear about things they won't be getting. With all their new tax-raising powers, it makes no sense for England to keep giving them £8,623 per person per year. They can raise it themselves. Who knows what they won't be able to afford? And they've just learned that Japanese whisky is better than the scottish stuff.

    Nov 03rd, 2014 - 09:45 am 0
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