BORIS Johnson is chasing a “niche” audience with his dismissive comments about devolution, John Curtice has said.
The polling expert said less than one in ten of all Scots wanted to see the end of the Scottish Parliament.
Speaking on Talk Radio, he said: “Boris Johnson is essentially saying to people well perhaps devolution shouldn’t happen at all.
“Now whatever our views about how devolution has or hasn’t played out and why, the market of people in Scotland who say there shouldn’t be any kind of Scottish Parliament is less than 10%.
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“He really is going for a niche market north of the Border.”
Curtice said Johnson’s comments could ultimately harm one of his biggest arguments against a second independence referendum.
“The obvious retort is going to be well, you expect the SNP to respect the referendum of 2014, you’re also insistent that everybody respects the referendum in 2016 but what’s gone wrong with the referendum of 1997, in which a clear majority of people in Scotland – a much bigger majority than voted for Brexit, or indeed in favour of staying in the Union in 2014 – voted in favour of the existence of the Scottish Parliament?
“So I think to that extent at least, shall we say the words were certainly politically unwise.”
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