I'm covering this because I've come too far to stop

But I make it quite clear that this story is now embarrassing to follow. Labour's current position on a referendum is that they "won't give the SNP a blank cheque". This means that they will cop out on any proposal. The wording won't be good enough. The date won't be good enough. Nothing will be good enough. We will be back to square one in 2010.

The only difference will be that Labour have made prize tits of themselves over this over the past week.

So to sum up:

Labour are Unionists, so don't want an independence referendum, but aren't afraid of the verdict of the people, so want a referendum now, while waiting for the Calman Commission to present its findings, so want to set the timing and question of a referendum which they do want in a Bill which they can't introduce and may even be ultra vires, and as they can't introduce it, they have scored a victory over the SNP by agreeing not to oppose the SNP's main policy come 2010, when they get round to scrutinising the policy in detail that is already available and decide it's completely unpalatable,

I've left a comma there rather than a full stop as I'm expecting another clause to added in about five minutes.

How fitting that so soon after Humphrey Lyttleton's death, Scottish Labour should produce such a wonderful tribute to him: one giant political game of Cheddar Gorge!