Andrew Constantine

The Scotsman reported this new opinion poll today;

Salmond gets his own opinion poll bounce
HAMISH MACDONELL (hmacdonell@scotsman.com)
SNP leaders are celebrating their best-ever poll result, after the party took a 16-point lead over Labour.

The poll, by Scottish Opinion, put the SNP on 48 per cent with Labour on 32 per cent - a huge lead only three months after the parties had been separated by just one percentage point and seat in the Scottish elections.

The findings show how well Alex Salmond, the First Minister, and his team have done in government since the elections, winning over many people who did not vote for the SNP in May.

But one disappointment for Mr Salmond will be the poor response given to the idea of independence in the poll.

Researchers found only 31 per cent in favour of independence, with 49 per cent against and 20 per cent undecided - a significant drop in support since the elections.

It appears many Scots like the way Mr Salmond is running the country and, because of that, do not want even to contemplate changing the system of government yet again.

The poll also spelled bad news for the other parties. The Tories and the Liberal Democrats were down on 8 per cent, with the Greens and the Scottish Socialists even further back on 2 per cent.

Support for the SNP has been consistently ahead of Labour for almost a year in Scotland, but the Nationalists have never managed to open up a lead of more than a few points - until now.

Yesterday's poll suggests that the SNP has managed to secure the favourable backing of many Scots because of the party's achievements in government in only three months.

An SNP spokesman described the figures as "sensational" and claimed there was obviously no "Brown bounce" in Scotland following the chancellor's elevation to the premiership in London. He said: "This is the highest opinion poll rating we have ever recorded. The SNP has built credibility and competence in government, and that is reflected in the satisfaction figures running at over three-to-one in favour.

"No previous Scottish government has built up such a solid platform of support in its first 100 days."

And he defended the low rating for independence in the poll by stating: "Support for independence depends on how you ask the question - with as many polls in favour as against - and the important thing now is that we will lead a national conversation on Scotland's constitutional future which will galvanise further support."

The First Minister will publish his bill for a referendum on independence next week and although he stands little chance of success with that legislation, he now knows he has the backing of large numbers of Scots for the rest of the work of his government.

Of particular comfort to the SNP leadership is the new government's satisfaction rating, as reflected in the poll.

A total of 40 per cent said they were satisfied (10 per cent very satisfied, 30 per cent quite satisfied) with the government's performance to date, with only 12 per cent dissatisfied (7 per cent quite dissatisfied, 5 per cent very dissatisfied).

Professor John Curtice, a poll expert from Strathclyde University, said: "Mr Salmond and his colleagues have got off to a good start in convincing the public the SNP can provide good government.

"But, contrary to the SNP's hopes, demonstrating that the party can govern is evidently doing nothing to persuade Scots of the case for independence.

"Rather, it may be persuading Scots that devolution can, in fact, be made to work effectively in Scotland's interests after all."

Labour MP David Cairns described the independence findings as a "massive embarrassment to Alex Salmond" just before he publishes his independence referendum bill.

Mr Cairns said: "Only a few months ago voters in Scotland rejected independence. Breaking up Britain would be a risky leap in the dark and not in Scotland's interests."

FEWER BACK INDEPENDENCE
ALEX Salmond will next week publish his bill for a referendum on Scottish independence, aware that support for a breakaway from the UK has been falling for almost a year.

Last October, a Scotsman ICM poll found 51 per cent in favour of separation, 35 per cent against and 10 per cent "don't knows". Another Scotsman ICM poll, just before May's election, found support for independence had fallen to 35 per cent, with 55 per cent against and 10 per cent undecided.

Yesterday's poll reflects the same sort of result, with only 31 per cent in favour and 49 per cent against.

__________________
Andrew Constantine
Free England Party - Independence for England
http://www.freeengland.com

http://freeengland.blogspot.com

Signatory to The English Claim of Right
http://englishclaimofright.com

Britannist

The poll result shows that at least a third of those who claim to back Salmond's europhile Scottish so-called Nationalists are not in favour of Scotland quitting the UK.

It's not a good poll for Labour - and could influence Gordon Brown on when he might call a General Election in view of his seat being one of those the Scottish Nationalists have been doing better in recently.

A very low level of support for the Cameron-led Conservatives in Scotland. One might have thought that his Scottish origins would have helped him gain more votes for his party in Scotland.