Outspoken opposition by the Scottish National Party to the Balkans bombing has failed to win the support of voters in the May 6th ballot for a parliament in Edinburgh, as polls show the governing Labour Party moving into a commanding lead.
Two surveys published yesterday showed that the SNP leader, Mr Alex Salmond, faces strong public disapproval for his stance, having described the NATO action as "unpardonable folly" in an official broadcast statement.
One poll in the Sunday Times shows only 23 per cent support for the SNP position, while 69 per cent disagree with it.
The findings suggest Mr Salmond was wrong to gamble on Scots being sceptical of the British military support for the US. He wants to pull an independent Scotland out of NATO, get rid of nuclear weapons from the Clyde base and adopt a position closer to that of Ireland.
But his dream of an independent Scotland is becoming more distant. Polls are now showing a clear lead for Labour in the race to be the biggest party in the first Scottish parliament for 292 years.
They give the Labour Party a major fillip as leaders publish its manifesto in Glasgow this morning.
Since February last year SNP support has surged and caused the Government in London serious political difficulties. But that was while the key issue concerned the form of home rule the nation should have, independence or Labour's devolution within the UK.
Since the start of March, Mr Salmond has opened up not just one new front against Labour on the Balkans war, but another major gamble in pledging to reverse a tax cut promised by the London government.
The opinion polls yesterday suggested Labour would win at least 60 seats in a 129-member legislature, showing it is within sight of an overall majority. With a proportional voting system and four major parties, there has been an assumption that no party would achieve that.
Labour's poll surge is being credited to the British Chancellor, Mr Gordon Brown, who is not standing for a seat in the Edinburgh legislature. From today's manifesto launch, the focus will be increasingly on Mr Donald Dewar (61), who now runs the Scottish administration from within Mr Blair's cabinet.
The strength of Mr Dewar's position was highlighted in the Sunday Times/NOP poll yesterday, which showed 55 per cent of voters would prefer him as First Minister with only 33 per cent for Mr Salmond.
Labour has suffered a landslide defeat in a local by-election in Bedford with an overall slip in its vote, casting doubt on suggestions of a boost for Mr Blair amid the Kosovo conflict. The Liberal Democrat, Mr Daniel Rogerson, gained the seat on a huge swing since last May.