Campaigners to keep Scotland within the UK are left reeling last night after yet another socialist group broke the official Labour Party line and backed independence. This time it was the turn of the hard-line RMT, which represents rail workers.
In a ballot announced on the same day that Miliband gave a speech in Scotland calling for it to reject independence, RMT’s Scottish members voted by 1,051 votes to 968 in favour of independence, according to the Scotsman.
The RMT was expelled from Labour Party affiliation a decade ago, but maintains strong connections. It was led by controversial hard liner union leader Bob Crow until his sudden death earlier this year.
A spokesman said: “RMT has conducted a referendum ballot of our members in Scotland and they have narrowly recorded a majority in support of the “yes” position.
“That ballot result has been reported to the union’s executive and we will be sending out a formal letter to our members in Scotland in due course.”
The poll came as Ed Miliband delivered a plea to Labour supporters in Scotland to vote against independence. A recent YouGov poll suggested that an increasing number of Labour voters are preparing to vote in favour of independence in two weeks’ time, leading to criticism of Labour’s handling of the referendum campaign.
The head of the official ‘Better Together’ campaign is former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling, who’s performance has been derided as lacklustre, especially after his performance in the last televised debate against Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond.
Earlier this week, former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown was blasted for jeopardising to the anti-independence campaign. Speaking to Breitbart London, Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell said: “It’s vital we defend the United Kingdom; which has brought prosperity to all four home nations for generations. However, there are growing concerns over the way Labour appear unable to contain the rising tide of nationalism amongst their own supporters. It is vital that all four main parties fight together to save the Union.
“It would appear that this decline in Labour support has come about since Gordon Brown hit the campaign trail. The Union is too important to risk. Questions should be asked about whether former Labour leader and cabinet members are the only suitable option for leading ‘No’ vote campaigners.”
The latest YouGov poll on Scottish independence found a sharp decline in the ‘No’ side’s lead. With “don’t knows” excluded, just 53 percent of Scots now plan to vote against independence, compared to 47 percent in favour. This compares to 57 percent versus 43 percent in the middle of last month.
With questions continuing to be raised over the ‘No’ campaign’s tactics, the referendum is looking incredibly close and very difficult to call.
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