Cameron to gamble on Scottish vote to end union

LONDON: The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is to take a high stakes gamble with the union this week by telling the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, that he can have a binding referendum on Scottish independence - but only in the next 18 months, after which any referendum can be no more than advisory.

He is also likely to tell Mr Salmond he will not be allowed to ask a third question on the ballot paper, over a form of devolution stopping short of independence.

Mr Cameron will publish a consultation paper, probably this week, revealing clear legal advice that the independence referendum will be binding under the Scotland Act only if both parliaments agree to its going ahead.

He will say the uncertainty created by the prospect of independence is harming the Scottish and British economies, and a delay until 2014 is not possible.

Mr Salmond then faces the choice of staging the referendum by the middle of 2013, or backing off until the next parliament. It would also be open to him to challenge Mr Cameron's legal interpretation in the courts.

The power of the Scottish parliament to hold a unilateral advisory referendum is disputed by lawyers.

Mr Salmond has been talking about holding a referendum to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn (1314), a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence.

One government source said: ''We are not going to allow this issue to be decided on the basis of a rigged debate organised by Salmond. It is going to be a fair debate. It's very unfair on the Scottish people themselves, who don't really know when this question is going to be asked, what the question is going to be, who's responsible for asking it.''

The Scottish government has insisted it should determine the timing and form of a referendum. There is no agreement yet whether the Electoral Commission would oversee the referendum, as it does in England, especially if it is advisory.

Mr Salmond said on Sunday: ''The position is very clear - the Scottish government achieved an overwhelming mandate from the people of Scotland to hold the referendum in the second half of this parliamentary term, and that is exactly what we will do.''

Mr Cameron told the BBC that the position of the Scottish government was a deliberate attempt to influence the result of any vote.

An 18-month deadline would put pressure on anti-independence parties, including Labour, to reach agreement on how they would conduct a cross-party campaign, if at all.

There have been talks about first holding an advisory referendum, which would lead to detailed negotiations on the terms of a break-up which would then be put to the Scottish people in a binding vote.

The anti-independence parties have failed to find a figurehead to lead the fight to stay in the United Kingdom, with a number of senior figures including John Reid, the former Labour defence secretary, publicly saying that they do not want the job.

Two recent polls have suggested that independence still has only minority support, though it is increasing.

Guardian News & Media

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5724500331

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