‘I don’t think we can have a referendum on independence unless we have a single question’. Michael Moore was unequivocal this afternoon: the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence will be a single-question vote, or it won’t happen at all. The Scottish Secretary made his determination quite clear when he appeared before the Scottish Affairs Select Committee, bandying about phrases such as the referendum is of ‘huge political importance’, it has to be ‘fair and clear’ and both sides are ‘willing and able to come to an agreement’.
He was upbeat about the progress of initial talks with Alex Salmond’s administration, telling the MPs that he believed a deal on the terms of the vote could be struck as soon as 22 October. But Moore was adamant that the government would not grant the powers for a referendum if both sides couldn’t agree to put a single question to the electorate in two years time.
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