tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752826158262183491.post532524095301773340..comments2008-09-10T17:38:33.761+01:00Scottish Unionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852056180313432298noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752826158262183491.post-24471443303470993922008-09-10T17:38:00.000+01:002008-09-10T17:38:00.000+01:00sm753<BR/><BR/>Interesting article; thanks. I've linked to three of Cameron's speeches in the right sidebar. He's clearly serious about protecting and enhancing the Union, by - in his words - addressing "one-by-one the deeper questions that are fuelling separatism". As your Guardian article said, while his methods may be open to criticism, his motives are sound. Labour and the Lib Dems would do well to muzzle, if not quite call off, certain of their dogs. Country above party.<BR/><BR/>The SNP will of course seek to send the message that "they" (meaning the English, but unspoken of course) have imposed on "us" a government which "we" didn't want. That argument is fallacious and easily refuted, though not without recourse to a discussion of frankly dreary electoral technicalities.<BR/><BR/>So unless the impact of the nationalists' rhetoric is taken seriously and both detailed and pithy rebuttals are prepared, a Tory win could yet hand the SNP a short-term propaganda advantage. Hence their planned referendum timing, of course.Scottish Unionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852056180313432298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752826158262183491.post-15246949221798037402008-09-10T16:30:00.000+01:002008-09-10T16:30:00.000+01:00Interesting:<BR/><BR/>http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/sep/10/conservatives.labour<BR/><BR/>Even the Grauniad is starting to admit that Cameron &amp; co may be on to something.<BR/><BR/>So if/when this view percolates north, a Tory victory could be seen as a lot less of a &quot;horse-frightener.&quot;sm753http://www.blogger.com/profile/04474549226665639347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752826158262183491.post-12484744031442876842008-09-10T13:15:00.000+01:002008-09-10T13:15:00.000+01:00No. Opinion polls are very useful indeed. See my <A HREF="http://www.scottishunionist.com/2008/09/support-for-independence-22-or-38.html" REL="nofollow">previous post</A> for more on that.<BR/><BR/>But these conditional questions asking people to judge how their opinions might change under certain future circumstances are highly dubious.<BR/><BR/>I'm open-minded on holding a referendum, although it's not as straightforward an issue as it might seem. But it would certainly be good to lay the divisive independence issue to rest for a generation or so.Scottish Unionisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852056180313432298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752826158262183491.post-49465827706664780052008-09-10T08:54:00.000+01:002008-09-10T08:54:00.000+01:00So do you agree that polls are pretty much useless in judging the level of public opinion and that we should take it to the people with a referendum on the issue?BSHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14373767066877414213noreply@blogger.com