New Poll Blow for Independent Scotland Campaign

Scottish voters are turning their backs on independence, with support for separation from the UK falling away. According to a new YouGov poll for the Times, support for a “yes” in September’s referendum has fallen three points to 39 percent, with one observer saying that Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond now needs a “game changer” to win the vote.

Also, in terms of whether Scots think they’ll be better or worse off after independence, only 27 percent think their country would be better off, while just 17 percent think they would be personally better off.

By comparison, 49 percent think Scotland would be economically worse off if it became independent, while 43 percent think they would be personally financially worse off.

These considerations could prove vital in determining how wavering and undecided Scots vote in September.

With support dropping below 40 percent, this will represent a huge psychological blow to the ‘yes’ campaign, with Alex Salmond still struggling to answer key economic questions about how an independent Scotland would function, including what currency it would use and how dependent it would be on North Sea oil.

John Curtice of the University of Strathclyde told the Times: “This is the worst result for “yes” from YouGov since before the currency intervention and it must be disappointing for the “yes” side. They must be looking for 43 per cent upwards and they are going backwards.

“As ever, it is about the economy, stupid. The Yes campaign has to persuade people that Scotland will be economically better off and people are no more convinced than they were after the publication of the White Paper. Until those numbers turn around, I can’t see them making it, really.

“It is going to be very, very difficult. It has looked difficult for quite a while. It needs a game changer, and where is that going to come from during the course of the summer?”