May 8th: As The Reality Of 2010 Sinks In, The Unionist Media Hit The Panic Button

The enormous constitutional implications of Wendy Alexander's statement on Monday are slowly beginning to sink in. A national referendum on Scottish independence in 2010 now seems probable rather than possible. After 300 years Scots may finally get to decide on the independence question for ourselves.

Make no mistake, once the dust settles, and the party political point-scoring is pushed to the background, it really is game on this time. Destiny calls. Already, sections of the unionist media have been caught off-guard and have hit the panic button (as can be seen by today's Scotsman front page). The unionist media know that despite all their loaded opinion polls, anti-independence propaganda, and sustained campaign of disinformation, the pendulum is swinging away from the so-called United Kingdom.

Going by today's editorialised rant, The Scotsman has clearly decided that their "Save The Union" campaign starts with "Get Wendy". Bet your bottom dollar that they will continue a tirade of personal attacks on Wendy Alexander until she is dumped by her own party - in the hope that an anti-referendum leader will step into her shoes. It is a panicked knee-jerk reaction which I suspect will probably fail in the long term since New Labour are already in a downward spiral and supporting an independence referendum - in the hope that it fails - looks increasingly like their last desperate, but highly calculated, throw of the dice.

I will even go as far as to predict that, despite their current positions, once the SNP referendum bill comes before Holyrood in 2010 that ALL FIVE of the Holyrood political parties will support it. This may seem unlikely at present but if you follow the logic of events - and if New Labour back the bill - then the LibDems and Tories will have little choice but to follow suit for two reasons: one) because they will be afraid of being cast as the people denying Scots the opportunity to democratically decide for ourselves, and two) to present a united unionist front prior to the vote that really matters.

For New Labour, looming like a dark shadow on the horizon is a Westminster election in either 2010 or 2011. It is an election in which England looks certain to elect David Cameron's Tory Party (since, taken collectively, the social values of the English electorate are very different from that of Scots, much further to the right.) A Tory victory, which seems nigh certain at present, would surely play right into the hands of the independence cause.

Can you imagine it in 2010? Alex Salmond as First Minister presenting the case for independence to the Scottish people. While Prime Minister David Cameron and Wendy Alexander combine in an unholy alliance to try and convince Scots to stay part of a Tory-controlled Britain. For supporters of Scottish independence this is the dream scenario.

The chess pieces are slowly moving into position for what could be the most dramatic of endgames.