A NATIONAL columnist has taken on the chairman of a Unionist think tank after he made a series of claims about the prospect of another independence referendum.

Kevin Hague, chairman of Unionist think-tank These Islands, said Nicola Sturgeon "refuses to answer questions on the border, the currency and the economics" when it comes to her plans for an independent Scotland.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "The SNP don't have answers that are palatable to the Scottish public when it comes to the question of borders, of currency and austerity.

"In fact, they are reduced to saying the Scottish Government's official statistics on these issues are not true.

"Recent polling shows the majority of supporters of independence believe the Scottish Government's own national accounts are made up to disguise Scotland's true wealth."

READ MORE: London journalist told to 'calm down' over hysterical indyref claims

Hague continued: "If their argument rests on that level of fact denial, it will not survive a campaign!

"After 14 years of SNP rule, campaigning purely for independence, Nicola Sturgeon still cannot answer these questions."

National columnist Shona Craven responded that Boris Johnson "made a huge tactical error" by coming out today to shut down demands for independence.

She then told Hague: "To dismiss the Scottish public as stupid and ill-informed isn't very democratic."

Hague responded: "None of those are words I've used of course. It is the typical argument from the nationalists.

"What we are asking the nationalists to do is be honest wit people of Scotland about the implications of Scotland being independence.

"Those are very real when it comes to economics!"

Craven was asked about polls that say only 28% of people want indyref2 within two years.

She responded: "It's really difficult to look at those figures in the current climate as we don't know when the immediate threat of the pandemic will be over. There's this suggestion that you can only have independence or recovery as if the two are divorced and what I would say is with regards to answering questions on how things are going to be ... well I'd like some questions answered from the UK Government about what austerity plans they have as part of their recovery, whether paying off debts from the pandemic will hit those who have the least with the most, which is normally the Conservative way.

"A lot of people who support independence want a fairer society... the idea that we have to go back to the UK austerity status quo before we can make a change doesn't make sense to a lot of people so I think the polling needs to be ongoing.

"If you take the argument that it will be divisive and messy maybe we should stop having elections altogether and just have Tory rule forever?" 

Craven was praised for her response on Twitter.

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