Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?  

I tend to agree with those who say Alex Salmond’s proposed referendum question is loaded. Professor John Curtice is surely right when he says that in everyday conversation people are more inclined to say they agree than don’t agree. We need a formulation that is neutral. One that doesn’t nudge the voter in a particular direction. There have been two attempts to prise Quebec out of the Canadian federation. The first referendum in 1980 saw 40.4% in favour of secession, 59.5% against. In the re-run in 1995, those wanting an independent Quebec were only narrowly defeated by 50.5% to 49.4%. Ominously, the question in the 1995 referendum begins with the words: Do you agree… What follows is more opaque …that Quebec should become sovereign after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership within the scope of the bill respecting the future of...