But the problem with referendums is sometimes politicians will keep asking until they get the result they want and then wont ask again. Thats hardly democracy is it.

The another problem is how to treat a very low turnout, I don’t think you can just assume the non-voters don’t care, they could well just be sick of politicians who will do what they want anyway, for example the EU constitution.

My understanding is that the Lib Dems oppose a referendum on two grounds:

1). They believe in parliamentary democracy and feel that referendums undermine this. I think they feel an election should be the mandate for independence. (Fair enough, it’s a common view.)

2). They think if the SNP were able to hold a referendum then until that point everything would be done with the aim of stirring up support for independence, rather than running Scotland in its best interests.

Absolutely. There seems to be a reluctance to grant petitions to causes that are not supported by the ruling party. This is dangerous and promotes the supposition that General Elections etc are referendums…

The UKIP policy of allowing referendums on items with popular support is a great idea so long as it does not allow suppression of a minority by the majority.

EU membership, EU treaties and English devolution are three items I believe we should have immediate referenda on.

Most unlikely, but even if it did the two parties together couldn’t command a majority in Parliament; perhaps Independent MSP Margo MacDonald could be persuaded to join - she certainly wouldn’t block an independence referendum.

I don’t, for the life of me, understand why the LibDems are so opposed to a referendum; I am totally against ’separation’ or ‘independence’ or whatever you want to call it, but I think a referendum would be highly unlikely to yield a positive result for the SNP - it is a possibility of course, but if we pretend to live in a democracy then we shouldn’t shrink from asking difficult questions, even if that particular answer would appal me.