All those in favour say bye

Don't you just love politicians. They think hypocrite is a compliment.

Take Alex Salmond - and many people wish somebody would. He is huffing and puffing like a dragon with asthma because the British Parliament has the temerity to tell him and his nationalists cronies that it is up to the parliament of the United Kingdom to decide on whether a referendum is held on Scottish independence, when it is held, who can vote and what the question will be.

Old Alex ideally wants to hold it on the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn on June 24 in 2014 which was won by the Scots even though they lost the return.

He is jumping up and down about Westminster inter fence in his blue faced, kilted plans and is claiming: "The issue is the entirely unacceptable Tory attempt to impose London strings on Scotland's referendum, from a Westminster Government with absolutely no mandate for these matters."

This idea of mandate and only voting and debating on things that concern you stuff is a new departure for Mr Salmond and indeed all the Scottish MPs - remember Salmond was a Westminster MP from 1987 to 2010.

Salmond happily voted on matters which were of no concern to Scotland whatsoever but had major effects on England, matters which were of no concern to the Scottish Nationalist Party whatsoever but votes that might have brought a few hidden concessions on the you scratch my back principle - one of the few principles that still exists in Westminster.

The real danger for Salmond of course is that an early referendum on independence - and only independence - before everyone has been given a copy of Braveheart and a lesson in selected Scottish history is that the Scots will vote to remain part of the Union.

Why would they want to be a minor blob in Europe, forced to apply for EU membership and into using the Euro and be left with with similar influence to Andorra? And if he loses then more important for Salmond is that the purpose of the Scottish Nationalist Party is called into question.

Still if Salmond wants to be sure of winning an independence vote all he needs to do is to open the voting up to the English.