Scottish independence: Poll shows ‘No’ campaign heading for landslide with 22% lead
The 'No' campaign could win by a landslide in the Scottish independence referendum next month, with a new poll giving it a 22% lead.
The poll comes amid signs the televised debate between Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond cemented the Better Together campaign's lead and left Salmond desperate for a last-minute game-changer.
A YouGov survey in Scotland for the Sun found support for the union at 55% and 35% planning to vote for independence. 'Don't knows' accounted for ten per cent.
But once the 'don't knows' were excluded the 'No' lead shot up to 32%, with support for the union at 61% and support for independence at 39%.
The poll follows a Survation survey for the Scottish Daily Mail yesterday, which put support for the union at 50% and support for independence at 37%. Thirteen per cent were undecided.
Without the 'don't knows', the 'No' camp stood at 57% and the 'Yes' camp on 43%.
It is a significant improvement since the last Survation poll on August 3rd which put support for independence at 40%, with 46% against and 14% of voters undecided.
The firming-up of the poll lead suggests the public was turned off by Salmond's performance in the TV debate with Darling.
Many viewers found the Scottish first minister stuck to rhetorical flourishes and personal attacks instead of dealing with the issues he was asked about, such as plans for a new currency if Whitehall refuses to enter into a currency union.
"Plan B implies settling for what's second best," Salmond said in an open letter published in the Scottish Sun newspaper.
"And neither myself, my colleagues in the SNP or the wider 'Yes' campaign will ever settle for second best for Scotland."
The Survation poll found 53% of voters thought Darling won the debate and nearly a quarter said it made them more likely to vote 'No'. Only 28% said Salmond came out on top.
