Posted on 11/27/2006 1:37:37 AM PST by LibWhacker
ALMOST two-thirds of English voters want full independence for Scotland, a dramatic new poll revealed last night.
A clear majority on both sides of the Border are in favour of Scotland breaking away from the United Kingdom, according to the survey by ICM. It finds that 59% of English voters want Scotland to go it alone, while independence is backed by 52% of Scots.
There is also strong support in both nations for England breaking away completely from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - backed by 48% in England and 45% in Scotland.
Meanwhile, 68% of English voters and 58% of Scots back the lesser step of an English parliament, which would have similar powers to the Scottish parliament.
The poll, which supports the abolition of the Act of Union between England and Scotland as its 300th anniversary approaches, follows recent surveys in Scotland which have shown more than 50% in favour of independence.
It came as Chancellor Gordon Brown delivered an impassioned defence of the Union at Labour's Scottish conference in Oban. On Friday, Blair also warned of a "constitutional nightmare" if the SNP wins power in Edinburgh next May.
Yesterday, in a further attack on the SNP, against whom Labour will fight a bitter battle for control of the Holyrood parliament, the Chancellor claimed: "We should never let the Nationalists deceive people into believing that you can break up the United Kingdom."
But, seizing on the poll results, SNP leader Alex Salmond said: "There is a powerful pro-independence tide now flowing both north and south of the Border. Both countries now have majorities in favour of their own independence and independence for their neighbour.
"Scots are tired of remote control from London and the onset of devolution has made people realise that, since we have our own parliament, it is time we had one with real powers.
"In England people, quite rightly, resent Scottish MPs bossing them about on English domestic legislation. England has as much right to self-governance as Scotland does."
The ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph shows that 60% of English voters agree, complaining that higher levels of public spending per head of the population in Scotland were "unjustified", with only 28% claiming they were justified. Among Scots, 36% said the current system was unfair, with 51% supporting it.
Ironically, only 21% of English voters said there were "too many Scots" in the Cabinet, with 76% saying this did not matter. Perhaps unsurprisingly, only 4% of Scots agreed that the number of their fellow countrymen in top government posts - who include Brown, John Reid, Alistair Darling, Lord Falconer and Douglas Alexander - was too high.
But voters had serious concerns about the so-called "West Lothian Question" - the ability of Scottish MPs at Westminster to vote on solely English matters while many purely Scottish issues are decided in Edinburgh. Almost two in three English voters (62% ) want Scottish MPs stripped of this right, as did 46% of Scots.
Reacting to the poll last night, the Chancellor said: "There is a debate to be had about the future of the United Kingdom, but I think when you look at the arguments, when you look at the family ties, the economic connections, the shared values, the history of our relationship which has lasted 300 years, people will decide we are stronger together and weaker apart."
A Scottish Labour Party spokesman added: "Our conference in Oban has shown the strong case for building on Labour's achievements within the UK rather than throwing it all away with the damaging nationalist policy of breaking up Britain."
Tory leader David Cameron also issued a robust defence of the Union saying it is "good for us all and we are stronger together than we are apart."
Retreat from Empire? or just socialism fatigue?
Interesting. Less Scotts than English believe independence is a good idea. I'd love to see a demographic breakdown.
It has been brewing for a while. English people are becoming discontent with several things
1. Labour is only able to win a majority at Westminster due to the large number of seats they win in Scotland. Without them, the conservatives would be permanently in government in England.
2. The number of Scottish MPs is disproportionately large with respect to the size of their population.
3. Many of the senior figures in the Labour party are from Scotland, the so-called "Scottish Mafia", and resentment is beginning to rise in England that our affairs are being run by MPs, who, if there was a fair constitutional settlement, wouldn't even have a seat in an English parliament.
4. Scotland is heavily subsidised by English taxpayers. It has pretty much become a socialist satrapy.
Labour's recent attacks on the SNP have got nothing to do with preserving the Union, about which they care little, but everything to do with ensuring Gordown Brown (another Scot) can become the next Prime Minister of the UK, rather than simply the Prime Minister of Scotland.
Alas for Labour, I think the cat is out of the bag now. The current situation is unsustainable. However, I don't expect a large change immediately, I suspect it will take about 10 years.
I think you will find out that it is Scotlands oil that has subsidised England since the 1970's.
So what's up with this nonsense about independence? Scotland cannot be compared to Quebec, obviously.
I would be happy for you to keep the oil (I am sure all those revenues will be spent so wisely by your neo-communist MPs!) if we can have our taxes back. Net gain for England.
This is not the case. The net cost of Scotland is 8p in the pound on income tax. Englands best chance to shrug off socialism is to devolve from the Union.
Edward I Longshanks must be spinning rapidly in his grave. Why not dissolve the Scottish Parliament, by force if necessary, and take the Stone of Scone back to Windsor (after all, the Scots stole it from Ireland in the first place)? Then, of course, as a compromise to general sentiment -- and to rectify the illegality of the Hanerovian Succession -- remove the Mountbattens and pack them off to Germany, replacing them with line of the House of Stuart (which has alway had a better claim to the throne in any case, following the death of the Plantagenets).
It goes without saying, in effecting such change, pack in the Socialists and hang the leaders from every empty gibbet in every county. Then, the real work can start vis-a-vis the Islamists.
If the Scots are not happy about control by the English Parliment, I wonder what they think about control by the EU Parliment and the EU Bureaucracy in Brussels. Seems to me that Westminster is the least of their problems.
If they removed the english toadies and voted in Scottish supporters, then getting out of the EU would be a smart move!
Personally, if the Scots get independence I'm going to petition for Cumbria to join them.
The mainspring for Scottish independence thinking is not anti-English so much as anti-London, a sentiment I empathise with completely.
Why are there more Scot MP per capita than elsewhere in the UK ? I don't get this...
Brits want to keep their tax Euros in their own neighborhood instead of bleeding them off to Scotland?
Good idea. Become independent and make your own laws and get away from the PC stranglehold of Britain.
Scottish independence has been debated for years. When push comes to shove, they won't leave any more than Quebec would actually leave Canada.
You won't get a voting majority to quit, they and England have too much to lose if separated. Despite all the belly aching on both sides.
'I think you will find out that it is Scotlands oil that has subsidised England since the 1970's.'
Well England has owned Scotland for a lot longer than Americans have owned America so I suppose the Native Americans oil has also subsidised the United States. . . .
'So what's up with this nonsense about independence?'
It's simple - Scotland is a socialist enclave funded by England and the Labour party is kept in power by Scottish Labour MP's. England has become sick of this and wants rid of it's northern socialist neighbour.
'I would be happy for you to keep the oil (I am sure all those revenues will be spent so wisely by your neo-communist MPs!) if we can have our taxes back. '
Especially as the oil has nearly run out! Still, the 500k barrels per day the Falklands oil reserves will provide for England will soon take up the slack. . . . :D
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