Talking-up Scotland

The BBC/YouGov research missed one obvious question – Should Scotland have its own foreign policy? The responses might have been quite revealing given those for other questions about decision-making commonly associated with Westminster.

On the decision about who should decide where nuclear weapons can be sited, only 33% on average, and falling as low as 23% in the Highlands and Islands or 26% in Glasgow, thought that it should for the UK Government to do so.

On the location of nuclear power stations, it was only 26% overall and as low as 15% in the Highlands and Islands, agreeing that the UK Government should have the say. The figures for where business tax level setting should be, were very similar.

On setting income tax levels, currently only partly devolved, only 33% thought it should be at the UK level and only 25% thought foreign worker levels should be set by Westminster.

Taken together, these responses kind of suggest majority support for full independence in practice.

Perhaps most encouraging for the SNP were the responses to the question comparing Scotland with other countries with only 6% think it is worse than others and a whopping 51% thinking it is better.

Most discouraging for the UK government was the response on the extent to which Westminster politicians ‘reflect the concerns of people in my part of the country’. For Scotland it was only 11%, falling as low as 7% in Lothians and 9% in Glasgow. For Holyrood, the figure was 37% rising to 45% in Glasgow and 52% in Lothians. To see just how bad that 11% is, see the graph above.

Satisfaction with the current almost complete devolution of control over the NHS can be seen in only 17% thinking that should be at the UK level. Given the clear disaster that is Tory-managed NHS England, you have to wonder who these 170 are?

So, Scots seem to want reject Westminster on every major question other than on the key question – Should Scotland be an independent country?