Alex Salmond: Devo max instead of independence is 'very attractive' David Cameron has offered to transfer the necessary powers for Mr Salmond to hold a legal referendum only if he asks a single question on separation. Mr Salmond appeared to endorse devo max during a question-and-answer session at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, California a fortnight ago, a recording of which emerged yesterday. There's a view abroad in Scotland that perhaps it would be better from where we are now ... that rather than become an independent country, at least in the first stage, that the fiscal base should increase to something near 100 per cent. And it's a very attractive argument," he told the audience. It has a major problem, and that is that the UK Government, while they respect the right and ability of Scots to decide on independence, are not prepared to accept the right of the Scottish people to decide on devo max. He said his first concern was to ensure that independence was on the ballot paper, the SNP administration's official stance, but he was open to a second question on devo max. However, the First Minister risks becoming politically isolated after it emerged last week that Dennis Canavan, the chair of the pro-independence referendum campaign, favours a single question on separation. Alistair Darling, the head of the opposing Better Together campaign, has accused Mr Salmond of running scared of independence because he knows he is going to lose. Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, said yesterday: "Alex Salmond's refusal to back both Dennis Canavan and Blair Jenkins and rule out having a second question is further proof that his attempt at presenting a united front within his separatist movement is unravelling by the day. It is high time Alex Salmond was honest with the Scottish public about his true intentions. Richard Baker, a Labour MSP who sits on the board of Better Together, told the BBC's Sunday Politics show Mr Salmond was "running chicken" from independence. Meanwhile, Mr Jenkins reiterated Yes Scotland's call that only people north of the Border should be able to donate money to the campaigns. However, Mr Baker pointed out this would prevent 800,000 Scots living in the rest of the UK from helping keep the country. together. He added: "We will not accept foreign donations but we do not regard the rest of the UK as foreign donations."