Warning issued over two-question referendum

A Liberal Democrat peer has warned that a two-question independence referendum could cause confusion and have serious consequences for Scotland and its future.

Lords Steel, the former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament has expressed concerns that the referendum risks a future of “bitterness and frustration” in Scotland if misunderstandings over the planned referendum were not resolved.

During their recent party conference the SNP proposed that the referendum contained two questions: the first being a Yes-No to Scottish independence and the second being a question on ‘devolution max’, or full fiscal autonomy.

Lord Steel referred to the first devolution referendum in 1979, where the proposal for a devolved Scottish Parliament was vetoed by Westminster despite receiving a small majority in favour. He said:

"It is astonishing to see, more than 30 years later, proposals that could make the result of the next referendum unclear.

"The bitterness and frustration will be seen again in Scotland if a landslide of voters choose further devolution but they get defeated by a less popular option of independence."

A spokesman for the First Minister responded:

"A majority voting Yes to 'devo max' and Yes to independence - as outlined in the draft Referendum Bill in February 2010 - would be a clear vote for independence.

"It is the exact opposite of the rigged 1979 referendum, in which a narrow but unambiguous majority for devolution was overturned.

"The precedent of the 1997 referendum is very clear - people voted Yes to a parliament and Yes to tax-varying powers, and therefore a parliament with tax-varying powers was delivered."

The First Minister has also been warned by Tom Harris MP, a contender for the Scottish Labour leadership, that he has “no mandate” to hold a two-question referendum. He claims voters at the Scottish elections in May have only given the SNP consent for a single-question independence referendum.

Speaking at the recent party conference, outgoing Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said:

“Alex Salmond knows he can't get his first question past the Scottish people. And he knows he can't get the second one past the SNP.”

On the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Alex Salmond explained he was “not for limiting choices of the Scottish people,” adding “I'll leave that to Westminster politicians.”