Poll Alert: Majority wants independence.

[Indy]

Labour maintain a narrow lead in the first ComRes poll after the main party conferences, for tomorrow’s Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror:


Conservative 37% (-1)

Labour 39% (+1)

Lib Dem 10% (-1)

Others 14% (+1)

Change since the last ComRes online poll in September. Despite much commentary recently, and David Cameron’s promotions of Justine Greening and Chloe Smith, the gender gap is not significant: the Labour lead is 39% to 36% among women (see below).

Of our other results, the most striking, as the Scottish National Party prepares for its annual conference this week, is the rise in support for Scottish independence, now backed by majorities in both Scotland and the rest of the UK.


Scotland should be an independent country

Agree: 39% (+6 points since May 2011)

Disagree: 38% (-4)

In Scotland:*

Agree 49% (+11)

Disagree 37% (-9)

*The sub-samples in Scotland are small: n=176

I hope this makes pleasant Sunday reading for those Brit nats who attack, lie, scare and put careers before their native land.

[jebus197]

You won't find a more staunch nationalist (or republican for that matter) than me. However after the conference news today, the thing that may potentially make even me wobble is this rattling on about getting rid of nuclear weapons. I didn't support it when it was a Labour policy and I don't support it now.

I would like to see us significantly reduce the size of our armed forces and for us to stop getting involved in all of these wars around the world. But I recognise that we still need some form of defence. I don't see any harm in it really. If the Yanks and the English want to base their subs in some of our lochs, then why not? It benefits the local economy in the areas where it happens - and it means we don't have to spend billions on running a huge defence force of our own. Besides, why risk pissing the Americans off? It could impact on tourism and in all kinds of ways on the economy in these areas too.

I couldn't care less about the 'moral argument' over nuclear weapons. I'm no peacenik. As far as I'm concerned, they are here, they have been invented and there's no way you can ever uninvent them. Even if Western society got rid of all of its nuclear weapons, all this would mean is that some crazed little despot dictator would probably get his hands on some some day and that he would use them to blow the living crap out of us all. So all in all, it's probably better that we have them (or someone we trust can have them) to guarantee our security somewhat.

Anyway politicians often say things they don't mean, so I suppose all I can hope for is that this might be one of them.

[Indy]

The Americans have enough nukes to wipe out all life on Earth many times over.

What use is it having nukes in Scotland, we won't have the right to fire them as the English don't have the right to fire off trident without the American's permission.

The nuke grandstanding by the UK is pointless, expensive and dangerous.

Many countries in Europe don't have nukes and get by fine.

The Americans have enough for everybody and they won't let some dictator (Iran) launch anything.

Scotland moreover becomes a target for nutters. How many nukes are pointed at Sweden or Iceland?

[tig]

Iran is no more a dictatorship than the UK or US is.

2 of the so called democracies have WMD's and one has even used them in anger....we dont see the UN doing much about that do we.

[JCfromGA]

True...

Don't forget American sold Iran the nukes... I guess they forgot to sell them the Big Red Button

[sandy74]

I didn't think Iran had nukes...not yet anyway. I know the government sold them weapons back in the 70s and especially during the 80s under the Reagan administration in which he initally tried to lie about it. The truth is that the American government is not the only government who does this. Just look at the long list of countries who supplied Iraq with materials to make nuclear and chemical weapons that they used against Iran during the Iran/Iraq War. You shouldn't be providing anything to countries that support terrorism or harbor terrorist but it happens anyway. It's the elected officials in government who need to have their heads examined for doing it.

[ANDY-J3]

Libya is another example. The country is now awash with western supplied weaponry and it's only a matter of time before Al Qaida get their hands on it.