Thanks to my namesake James on the previous thread for drawing my attention to the fact that a full-scale Scottish YouGov poll seems to be on its way. It was conducted between Thursday and yesterday, and Joe Twyman has already revealed the results of a supplementary question in order to make a rather dubious point. He notes that 97% of Scottish MPs voted against the bombing of Syria, but that Scottish voters are "much more divided" on the issue, including "even SNP voters". In reality, the poll shows that SNP voters oppose the bombing by an overwhelming margin of 56% to 31%. If the London establishment can call a 55% to 45% margin "decisive" when it suits them, I'm not sure they're going to get away with implying that 56% to 31% is a relatively even split.
Overall, 44% of Scottish voters support the bombing, and 41% are opposed. That's a statistical tie, meaning that the standard 3% margin of error makes it impossible to know for sure whether most people are in favour or not. It does, however, suggest that we probably weren't being led astray by the two YouGov subsamples at the time of the Commons vote, both of which reported that public opinion in Scotland was finely balanced.
Incidentally, there's clear opposition to putting British and American ground forces into Syria or Iraq - and that opposition is strongest in respect of Iraq, even though the conflict in Syria is more complex. It's probably safe to say that there's now something of a stigma attached to any form of military action in Iraq.
We'll have to wait and see whether Scottish Parliament voting intention numbers from YouGov appear overnight.
UK LabGov at it again. They never give it a rest.
ReplyDeleteI completed a You Gov poll on politics including Scotland today.
ReplyDeleteThink its due in January but our family did 4 question survation poll the other night. What ge15 vote was, 1st and second vote for Holyrood 16 and indy yes/no.
ReplyDeleteScotland is of no importance in World events. We supply some well paid military personnel and that is about it.
ReplyDeleteDitto for the UK.
DeleteFaslane?
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DeleteHow is that a bad thing? Or maybe you think being involved in wars and conflicts across the world is something to be proud of?
DeleteIt would be better if we didn't supply "some well paid military personnel" at all, for Britain to pretend it is a world power.
ReplyDeleteHow do you define a World Power?
DeleteThis:
Deletehttp://img.ifcdn.com/images/ad54d41fe33c57fce932e3f8ae57af8a36a8461dbab82430a6bc6fca8fccfb67_1.gif
Focus on the retreat to being a wee diddy of no significance that's struggling to hold onto the local northern provinces when the sun once never set on its empire.
Time to get over it and move on.
I remember when the sun finally set on the British [sic English / Anglo] empire in 1997. While the union flag was lowered in Hong Kong, back on home soil, the Scots voted 74% Yes to re-opening their own parliament. Very symbolic.
ReplyDeleteOf course this all dates back to the post-war years and the Suez crisis, which marked the beginning of the end for 'Great Britain' and Anglo word influence.
Since then, day by day, the union has been unravelling. The end of the empire reached Britain's shores in 1997 and has been moving closer to the centre of the Empire - London - ever since.
The UK needs to accept it isn't a world power any more and get on with it. Instead, the SE England centred core is retreating into itself while it inexorably loses its last home soil imperial provinces and the rest of the world moves on.
Skier, the Empire was not possible without Scotland. Are you ashamed your prosperity was bought at the end of a Scottish bayonet. It could have been your great great granda! Let us pretend it was the English and change the history books tae suit Wee Jockannory.
DeleteMost folks have moved on from the Empire/Colonial days.
DeleteBritain is now just another small/medium sized European country.
Nothing more.
Well David you have recognised Britain as a country. What is the name of that fringe party you are member?
DeleteI've researched the history of the empire and can't find any prosperity. Lots of pics of Glasgow slums with 10 to a room etc. Also pics of how the 1% lived in massive opulent mansions growing rich on slaves and tobacco.
DeleteI benefited from eduction which resulted from the end of the bloodthirsty, warring capitalist empire you seem to love. You know, the socialist post-war consensus which emerged from the death of neo-liberal imperialism? Jeez you've sung the praises of that often enough.
UKIP are polling less than 2% BTW. Nice.
Always did recognise Britain as a geographical entity, dummy.
DeleteYou will find "fringe parties" filed under "S" for SLAB.
Britain=UK=SE England will soon be free of the subsidised junkie Jocks.
ReplyDeleteWhat's not to like Glasgow Working Pish?
I like the subsidy it pays ma benefits.
DeleteYour Tory overlords are coming for those. Champagne is not cheap and they're not going to pay for it themselves.
DeleteBritain=UK=SE England will soon be free of the subsidised junkie Jocks.
ReplyDeleteWhat's not to like Glasgow Working Pish?
Scottish_Skier,
ReplyDeleteWish I was still doing that, skiing I mean.
I may have mentioned this before, but for some unknown reason, the Post Office employed me and subsequently gave me access to various Acts of Parliament, in basically chronological order. I looked at a few volumes of them and they were a tearing up of the whole idea of a British Empire.
I cannot remember now, who was first and who was last, but independence movements were rampant around the late '50s, early '60s. It kind of gives the lie to a 'brotherhood of man' under a socialist banner that does not allow difference. It seems that a Canadian is entitled to care more about a fellow Canadian than a Scot is about a fellow Scot. Just because a Liverpudlian is closer. How, back then, was a Canadian not supposed to care as much about the Liverpudlian as we are now?
On a broader stage.
We saw, perhaps, the worst of it under Pol Pot or maybe the weilders of the Little Red Book, neither of whom had the slightest respect for plurality of thought or action.
Hopefully both governments have moved forward. I think I am right in saying that the Chinese now view the 'cultural revolution' as something they'd rather bury.
Nowadays a World Power can exterminate all of us.
Which is kind of a fuck up.
Because, inevitably, some lunatic will do it.
I have no solution to that. And I doubt GWC has either.
When Scotland was a World Power things were nicer even the English had a propensity for kindness. Personally I blame the Scots for the Empire we are a shower of ruthless basket cases. Wullie Wallace and aw that stabbing and killing jings makes yer hert fond.
DeleteAnd no one else ever, ran about with sword and shield?
DeleteWhy do you say "We"?
ReplyDeleteYou ain't a Scot.
Ah wis born in tenement up a close in Camlachie but maybe ma maw wis shagged in England who knows. Where wis your maw shagged David and are you a Scot? I am..
DeleteSorry, bud.
DeleteYou have used the phrase "You Scots" on here, once too often.
You are no more Scottish, than Pig Shagger.
I am sure you have shagged a few pigs entertaining them beforehand with your socialist witt. Get them aff hen and I will teach you about Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin. Ye cannae beat a three timer.
DeleteAs I said previously.....You are NOT a Scot.
DeleteDouglas Clark. The general idea for not being wiped out by a World Power is to have the same weapons they have and are willing to use them and they know it.
ReplyDeleteSan Marino needs Trident???????
DeleteIs that a fitbae team
DeleteGWC,
DeleteThat would work if there was any logic left in the millenial cults that run Daesh, or more worryingly, the Republican Party. You assume sense when there is none.
My sense is in my previous comment. 11:26 pm. Daesh is not a factor. Yet.
DeleteSense? Where, pray tell? You've never made sense.
DeleteIt is widely accepted that Westminster does what Washington tells it to do (mostly).
ReplyDeleteNot sending military assets to Syria was like California or Wisconsin saying to the Pentagon that we refuse to be involved.
Without USA foreign policy,Westminster would have no global presence (certainly in a military sense) and the current arrangements allow the London elite to continue to delude themselves that we are a global power.
However,it will be interesting to see how things pan out in future when the USA decides to confront China and demands our assistance.
What would then happen to Osborne's nuclear power program?
No polls on Independence yet James?
ReplyDeleteWhat was the Labour voters %s for the bombing, I wonder? Tories and Libdems supported.
ReplyDeleteLabour weirdly had the highest % in favour, moreso than the tories or libdems. Quite unexpected.
ReplyDeleteWell said Scottish-Skier my mother had to go to pawn her mother's coat just so they could eat at the height of Glasgow Working Ass's great Empire. It is a shame that anyone can be so brain washed or stupid as that silly individual who clearly has no idea what it is on about.
ReplyDeleteKim Jung Eck bad mouthing the UK over in that bastion of religious freedom called Iran where wummin are covered head tae toe, trade unions are banned and Jews are called monkeys.The wee keech must feel at hame.
ReplyDeleteGrow up.
DeleteUnfortunately some Iranians do not get to grow up.
DeleteYou may very well say the same about some of your fellow-country men due to the efforts of your Tory paymasters.
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DeleteDisgusting comment by the resident bigot.
ReplyDeleteJust about par for the course.
DeleteWhy do you continue to feed the bigots? please ignore the idiots.
ReplyDeleteNot unexpected for some Nat sis to support a religious theocracy. Wee Eck was saying recently he preferred the company of people off faith.
DeleteThe Labour man wants to know if you collected his ermine robe from the dry cleaners yet. Your heating allowance depends on it.
DeleteGood to see the Tories agreeing that the EU ref could trigger another Scottish iref.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35165720