Although the Scottish Secretary, Mr Donald Dewar, insisted yesterday the Scottish people were not "so unsophisticated" they could not grieve for Diana, Princess of Wales and simultaneously consider the issues in the devolution debate, the Labour MP, Mr Tam Dalyell called for the referendum to be postponed. All the main political parties have cancelled campaigning on the referendums for Scotland and Wales until after Princess Diana's funeral on Saturday.
For Scotland this will leave just four days of campaigning until the vote next Thursday. The Welsh referendum will take place the following Thursday.
Mr Dalyell's comments came as the Scottish Secretary insisted that the technical difficulties involved in recalling Parliament and amending the law to change the date of the referendum would have been "formidable".
The initial response of campaigners following Princess Diana's death was to cancel the referendums, Mr Dewar said, but after he had "thought long and hard," he concluded: "I don't think it is right."
However, speaking on BBC Radio 4 yesterday, Mr Dalyell criticised the decision to press ahead insisting four days would not be enough time for the people of Scotland to consider the issues.
Although Mr Dalyell said he agreed with the British Government's decision to postpone campaigning until after Diana's funeral, he insisted: "This gives us precisely four days, three if you don't count Sunday, and for such a crucial decision there should be a longer campaigning time," Mr Dalyell said.
Mr Dalyell is due to take part in a debate with Mr Dewar on Scottish television on Monday and the BBC have also planned a debate the night before the crucial vote in Scotland. Despite the criticisms of his fellow MPs, Mr Dewar remained firm last night that he had made the right decision.
"I think people will want to get a decision taken. I think it is time for that decision after all these years of debate. I think that the feeling of uncertainty and anticlimax would in fact be regretted afterwards if we didn't push ahead," Mr Dewar said.
Meanwhile, as campaigners in the pro-devolution campaign in Scotland admitted that the loss of a full week of campaigning may result in a low turn-out, an opinion poll published in the Glasgow Herald yesterday said support for a parliament with tax-varying powers had fallen below 50 per cent for the first time.