Brass tacks and brass farthings
Discussion of the intriguing Scottish Social Attitudes survey has been slightly undermined by the fact that the full report itself isn't publicly available. However, the estimable Lallands Peat Worrier has secured access to more of the detail, and picks through it here. Of particular note is the precise wording of some of the questions, which wasn't previously revealed. The deeper conclusion that this blog reads into his analysis is that there seems to be a subtle shift taking place – independence is slowly but measurably becoming the default case in the minds of voters, ie the state people need to be persuaded out of rather than into. (Presented with a proposition under which independence would make no difference to people's finances either way, the response is 47% in favour of independence with 32% against, which to our knowledge is the biggest straight-question margin for "Yes" ever recorded in a full-sized poll.)
As LPW pointedly notes the continued absence of the "positive case for the Union" (and in the light of the relentless continuation of increasingly impotent fearmongering in its stead), that could be a very significant development indeed in the years to come.
"Twitter" Harris has come up with this nonsense
http://yfrog.com/z/o0gqkp
me thinks this man has too much time on his hands
TYRAN:
The graphic in the picture is actually quite interesting. In a similar avoidance tactic to Labour activist and Betternation moderator Aidan Skinner who couldn't admit to being primarily British or to Labour Leadership candidate Ken MacIntosh and Scottish Secretary Michael Moore who don't like being called Unionist Tom Harris has illustrated his pictorial call for the Union with a Saltire not a Union Jack.
In a graphic calling for the retention Union and for the British nation he couldn't bring himself to use the Union Jack. It actually looks like an SNP graphic at first glance.
What is it about all these unionists/British nationalists who don't like the symbols and labels of the cause they espouse?
Indeed. Poor old Comical Tom also didn't have much luck with his timing, asserting that "no more than 30%" of Scots back independence in a week when the SSA study showed that in fact anywhere from 43% to 65% would happily vote for "separation" as long as it wasn't going to make their lives materially worse.
Even his 30% estimate was then spun to assert that 70% were against independence. That's a big assumption, and requires including all the "don't know not sure" group with the implacable unionists.
At least we've moved on from "nobody in Scotland supports independence". Which tended to provoke me to "so I'm nobody, am I?"