Greater England – King Cnut Before The Tide

The Royal Jubilee and the London Olympics have saved Greater England!

The rebellious Scots have been dealt a mortal blow as their loyalist brethren have flocked to the standard of the Butcher’s Apron Union Jack and the troublesome separatist demagogues of the northern province have been rendered powerless by the old tactic – divide and conquer.

Or maybe not. From Newsnet Scotland:

“The London Olympics, which were hailed as a reaffirmation of Britishness, have in fact made Scots more likely to support independence, according to a poll published in yesterday’s Sunday Times.

The Panelbase survey found that 12% of respondents said that the Olympics had made them more likely to vote in favour of independence, as opposed to just 8% of Scots who say they feel more British because of Team GB’s performance.

The poll also found that the gap between support for independence and support for the Union is now only nine points – requiring a swing of just 4.5% for a Yes vote in 2014.  35% of Scots say they intend to vote in favour of independence, with 44% saying they intend to vote against.

The poll of almost 800 Scots also showed that 29% believe Scottish athletes should compete for Great Britain after independence while double that,  58%, say Scotland should represent itself.

The findings show the opposite effect to that predicted by the anti-independence parties and the London based media.  It was widely claimed that the London Olympics would create a wave of pro-British sentiment which would make Scots less inclined to vote in favour of independence in 2014.  The results of yesterday’s poll suggest that Scots feel more alienated from the UK’s version of Britishness as a result of the Games.

Commenting on the poll, SNP MP Pete Wishart said:

“This is clear evidence that the puerile efforts of the anti-independence parties to politicise the Games have backfired.

“I’ve been delighted to support Scotland’s Olympians and Team GB during the London Games, and will be delighted to support Team Scotland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and at the Olympics following a Yes vote in 2014.”

“With the gap between support for an independent Scotland and the Union now down to a swing of just 4.5 per cent, we are very confident indeed of achieving a Yes vote for independence in autumn 2014.”

Oh dear. It would seem that all those irate Cnuts sitting on the sea’s edge waving off the oncoming tide will not save Greater England after all.