I've heard of the zealotry of a convert, but this is ridiculous

You might remember a chap called Alex Massie, who took part in a high-profile TV debate last year on the specific basis that he was an "undecided voter" in the referendum, and that he was entirely open-minded on whether or not Scotland should become an independent country.  Can that possibly be the same Alex Massie who has just used the following colourful language in a Spectator article?

"If Miliband genuinely wants Britain to stay together, why even consider joining forces with a party whose central aim is to tear Britain apart?"

"the SNP is the enemy"

"A nationalist victory, by contrast, risks a second independence referendum which might break the Union forever."

"This is why so many Scottish unionists will vote tactically in May: it is crucial that the nationalists’ momentum is checked now."

"It is depressing that so many English Tories are plainly more exercised by ‘threats’ from Brussels than from Edinburgh."

"So unionists are entitled to feel a deep and heavy sense of foreboding. This election is going to be a disaster."

Now, I have no problem at all with someone who opposes independence with every fibre of their being (to use the Cameron drama queen line), who thinks that stopping independence should take priority over absolutely everything else, and who believes that a failure to stop independence would be a "disaster". But I have to say that I do find it fantastically improbable that such a person would have been open to voting in favour of independence only a few months ago, as Alex Massie claimed to be.

It was all a very elaborate stunt, building up to his pre-planned "shock confession" just before polling day that he'd mulled things over and had decided to vote No. What baffles me is why he hasn't been well and truly nailed for such appalling cynicism and mendacity.

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Well, we now know the identity of one of the constituencies that will be covered by Ashcroft's second batch of Scottish polls - a poster on the previous thread was interviewed yesterday, and lives in Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath. Feel free to let us know if you get a call in any other constituency - the polling firm will probably identify themselves as Populus.