Scotland is a conservative country

The Scottish Centre for Social Research has released its latest survey of Scottish attitudes. It confirms that SNP government at Holyrood has reduced the appetite for independence. For now it’s George Robertson 1 Tam Dalyell 0. The financial crisis has doubtless helps explain this but is not the whole explanation.

No, the findings (conveniently) offer support for my contention that the SNP vote is as much a cultural phenomenon as a political judgement on what’s best for Scotia. Is is an affirmation of identity, not a call for the break-up of Britain (or, if you want to put it this way: independence). Devolution may be a heads-you-win, tails-I-lose proposition: if an SNP government is perceived to be faring poorly, support for independence will likely fall but, equally, an SNP government that is seen to be doing well will render moot many of the arguments for independence. If we’re doing well, what’s the need for change? (And if we’re doing badly then change is too scary to contemplate.)