Although opening up these questions to voters feels dangerous to those standing against a British exit from Europe or a Scottish exit from the UK, it would be more dangerous yet to ignore calls for change.
Alex Salmond has launched the SNP’s blueprint for Scottish independence, a 670-page document described as a “mission statement” for Scotland’s future.
An independent Scotland would need to increase taxes or cut spending to maintain a sustainable economy, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned.
Based on research conducted by the IFS, David Phillips examines the kinds of tax and spending decisions that may face a newly independent Scotland in its first few years. What is clear is that in or out of the UK, hard fiscal choices are going to have to be made.
A year away from the Scottish referendum, we have opinion polls almost weekly, as the media tries to discern the rise and fall in the standings of the rival teams. Yet the most striking fact is the stability in public opinion. For the past 20 years, support for independence has been around 30% and all the argument over the past two years appears to have made little difference.