Controversial politician George Galloway has predicted victory for Alex Salmond and the SNP in the independence referendum planned for autumn 2014.
Describing the current crop of Labour MSPs as ”tubes and empty jaikets”, the Respect MP said stopping the SNP’s ”inch-by-inch” campaign to break up the United Kingdom would be ”beyond them”.
Mr Galloway, who was elected Bradford West MP in a stunning by-election victory last month, hailed the ”amazing transformation” of the SNP under Mr Salmond, the First Minister.
He said the Nationalists have ”shamed” Scottish Labour in recent years by taking ”principled positions” similar to Labour’s before Tony Blair took over as leader.
Mr Galloway repeated his personal opposition to independence, highlighting the similarities between a ”young person in Bradford and one in Barrhead”.
But he said the SNP are now in such a dominant position, securing a ‘No’ vote in the independence referendum looks like ”mission impossible”.
The assessment will worry the pro-Union camp, with many political commentators believing Labour will be key to convincing Scots to vote to remain in the UK.
Writing in Holyrood magazine, Mr Galloway noted that he had unsuccessfully stood for the Scottish Parliament in last year’s election.
”If I’d gone to the Scottish Parliament I would have campaigned, of course, against this inch-by-inch to independence, which I’ve opposed all my political life,” he said.
”Scottish people hate the Tories but they’ve largely given up on the hijacked Labour Party and I’m not sure they can ever be won back.”
After praising the changes made to the SNP by Mr Salmond, he added: ”I oppose the split because I don’t believe there’s a difference between a young person in Bradford and one in Barrhead, but the former will be poorer if it happens.”
Meanwhile, former First Minister Henry McLeish has backed Alex Salmond’s plans for a second question on the independence referendum.
The ex-Fife Labour MSP handed a huge boost to the SNP leader by insisting there is an ”overwhelming case” for the option of more devolution short of independence being put on the ballot paper.
Mr Salmond has said he is ”open” to the possibility, but all the main unionist parties are against it.
Writing in a magazine this week, Mr McLeish said: ”There is an overwhelming case for a second question to give real choice to the Scottish people and if, as everyone says, the ‘Yes’ vote should be unambigious, then so too should be the meaning of the ‘No’ vote.”
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