Campaigns Prepare For Last Push As Polls Suggest Yes-Yes

Yes campaigners.

This morning's polls in the Herald and the Scotsman newspapers both suggested victory for the Yes, Yes camp. The Scotsman/ICM poll found that 63% of those questioned agreed that there should be a Scottish Parliament, 25% disagreed and 12% were undecided. On the tax question, 48% were in favour of tax-varying powers, 40% against, and 12% undecided (Fieldwork: 7-8 September, Sample size: 1,809). The Herald/System Three Poll found 61% of those questioned agreeing there should be a parliament, compared with 20% who would vote No, with 19% undecided. They found support for tax-varying powers to be at 45%, the lowest level so far, but those opposed were also down by 1% to 31%, leaving the 24% of those questioned who are undecideds or don't knows as the decisive factor tomorrow (Fieldwork: 6-7 September, Sample size: 1,039).

The Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar, welcomed the polls, but he stressed, "It is votes in the ballot box that matters." He also predicted that the turnout tomorrow would be high. This view was supported by the Scotsman/ICM poll which found that 72% of those questioned intendended to turnout to vote.

Michael Ancram, the Conservative constitution spokesman, cast doubt on how well the polls will reflect the final result. He said, "I remember well, in 1979, that the opinion polls were suggesting a very heavy vote for the Yes side, and it didn't turn out to be that when people went into the ballot box."

Hague at Loch Lomond today.

Tory leader, William Hague claimed that a Scottish Parliament could levy a "tourist tax", he pointed out that such a tax had already been proposed for hotels in Edinburgh by a Labour council leader.