Union Blackjack
The man who seems to rapidly be becoming the de facto leader of the No campaign gave a fascinating interview on The Sunday Politics at the weekend. Increasingly flustered under persistent questioning from Isobel Fraser, Alastair Darling repeatedly asserted that the Union as it currently stands is a busted flush. But weirdly, time and again he demanded that the Scottish people bet everything on it anyway.
In our specially-commissioned illustration above, the Ace (quite naturally) represents independence. It’s normally the best card, but of course that rather depends what the other one is, and if you’ve ever played blackjack you’ll know that only an idiot would make their decision with only one of the cards showing. But for some unfathomable and inexplicable reason, we’re being asked to throw all our chips onto the table blind.
The former Chancellor was pretty unequivocal about his view of the present constitutional arrangements, and he claimed to speak for everyone else too:
“I don’t think that anybody would argue that the status quo, what we have at the moment, is satisfactory.” (35.04)
“The settlement reached in 1998 is not what we want at the moment, we need to move on from that.” (38.58)
That seems pretty clear, then. But bizarrely, this unsatisfactory state of affairs is what Darling wants the people of Scotland to vote for in the most important decision they’ll take in 300 years. Irrationally, Darling doesn’t want to improve the nature of the Union until AFTER people have decided whether they want to stay in it or not. Eh?
The MP for Edinburgh South West was very firm on the timing. Over and over, as Fraser pointed out the strangeness of the position, he stuck to the story – the Union is rubbish, but rather than fix it with better devolution over the next two and a half years and THEN ask people whether they want to stay in it or not, we should rush to a referendum much sooner (in 2013), vote No to independence, and then trust a Tory government in Westminster to hand Scotland more powers out of the goodness of its heart, now that we’d given up all possibility of leverage in any negotiations.
If this guy is the Union camp’s Great White Hope, we’re ordering bunting.
Stick with the Frosties out the box and the gummed up keyboard, Fatso. 
I think one of the odd things is that he states the union is busted, wants 2013 for ref so that the tories can provide increased powers through more devolution. How can he as a Labour party member say what a tory gov will do?
Are Labour and the Tories really one in the same afterall?
bread tomorrow, or perhaps the day after, or maybe no bread at all
alastair darling's career and pension is going to get no better, he would be better shutting up
cheers
charlie
Darling seems to be playing the same game as Dave then. They both insist that everyone says "no" to independance before they'll even discuss what the alternative options they promise actually are. Is the big plan for the unionists to simply stamp their feet and say "NO!!" to independence and when people ask them to explain their alternative ideas? They'll just reach around their jotters with their arms to stop the undecided group and the independence supporters peeking into it and finding out what the super special secret offer for the future is going to be? We don't even get a sniff or a taste of it before irreversibly committing to it? They'd never let their opposition get away with such behaviour.
It seems like madness to demand someone irrevocably throws away their only clear option or chance for something better in return for some promised watered down jam in the days to come of an unknown flavour (while admitting there is a problem that needs to be addressed in the first place). Especially as they did EXACTLY THIS SAME TRICK BEFORE IN THE RUN UP TO THE LAST VOTE.
The most insulting part is that it can ONLY BE a deliberate trick or lie from these politicians and it's such a bloody obvious deception that they must think we are all utter morons with no memory to recall the last time we were bitten or capability of reading up on recent history. Otherwise they'd at least try a little harder with their deceptions. This attempt is ridiculous.
On the upside I am glad that all attempts I've seen so far are as awful as this. With the champions of unionism insulting Scotland and the Scottish people every time they open their mouth or visit and refusing to make any logical sense at all when pressed I might just order up some bunting and a big cake too.
@Jen
Are Labour and the Tories really one in the same afterall?
You still have to ask at this stage?
It's absolutely key that any increase in powers is not voted for by Scottish voters – it has to be 'nothing to do' with the nasty SNP's referendum, and must be a generous gift from their betters.
This narrative is not helped the fact that unionist policy is changing at random, while remaining vague. How they expect anyone to trust them, when their every move indicates that they have no principles and see Scotland as a problem to be managed, I don't know.
BTW I think it's okay to refer to unionists en masse, since their wrenching and unconvincing policy U-turns are always mysteriously synchronised.
So the full benefits will only be revealed after a "No" vote? What a "Slaver/Chancer/Radge", please make your choice at the ballot box;-)))