File under Scottish independence, further musings on

If you thought the New Zealand media was biased, you should have a look at the way the Daily Mail is covering the referendum on Scottish independence.

Today, there are EIGHT different stories on the Mail's webiste on the issue. Yesterday, I counted NINE.  They are all anti-Independence, and stridently so.  They are full of apocalyptic warnings and resort to personal attacks on Alex Salmond - and his wife (OMG!  His wife is 17 years older than he is!  Vote for the Union!).

(The Mail has a lot of form for targetting spouses - I'm sure I recall in the run up to the 2010 election, they featured a story in which they compared the attractiveness of the FEET of the partners of the main party leaders.  Yes, you read that right.  Their feet!  Probably, motivated by entirely objective journalism and nothing to do with humiliating Sarah Brown for having a crushed toe.)

I suspect the Powers That Be have realised Cameron will be totally diminished if he becomes the Prime Minister who oversaw the break up of the union.  It ill destroy the credibility of the Conservative party and - contrary to the claim that it will skew the elections south of the border in favour of the Conservatives, they will be out of power for years to come.  Even Ed Milliband will look statesman like compared to the Man Who Lost Scotland.

As independence is looking like a distinct possibility, Mass Panic is resulting in the right wing media. Which, ironically, will probably harden the Independence vote as I don't think many Scots will appreciate being told what to do by the English Mail.

Like all Scots, I'm phlegmatic on the issue.  Given a straight choice between independence and union, I' m probably more in favour of it than I am against it. I'd prefer enhanced devolution, but I don't trust Tories to deliver on vague, panicked promises.

So we might as well get it over with and whatever pain comes, comes. Obviously, the pain is academic for me, but my (staunchly Tory) family live in Scotland and are viewing the referendum as some sort of apocalypse.