The Scottish Wendyrendum

"Wee Wendy" Alexander appears to have declared independence for Scottish Labour. She has called for an early referendum (or "Wendyrendum" as it is being called) on the calculation that it more likely to produce a "No" vote. Gordon was reduced at PMQ's to denying that Wendy said what she patently did say ("bring it on" is hardly ambiguous). Presumably he felt compelled to do this because the only alternative is to admit that he has lost control of his party. (Cameron taunted him with just that). But it made Gordon look like a moron (And it seems that no one has yet told him to look straight ahead at PMQ's inside of sideways. How can he get such a simple thing wrong?). Alex Salmond prefers a later referendum (2010 or 2011); he thinks that, if the Tories win the election, the Scots are more likely to opt for independence (if the alternative is to be governed by a lot of Eton toffs). Both Wendy and Alex are probably right; but the Wendy strategy is - for Labour - a bit risky. Voters have a reputation for not always voting on what they should e.g. using local elections to deliver a verdict on national goverment (odd, isn't it, that after all these years of enmity between Gordon and Ken, that Gordon finally finished off Ken by supporting him?) and they may use a referendum to do the same. In any case, it now seems clear that, sooner or later, there will be a Scottish referendum on independence. Labour is, of course, terrified of this: if Scotland becomes independent they would lose around 40 MP's at Westminster. The poor bloody English would end up with near-permanent Tory government.