Leaders stress Scots vote will stand

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 14 September 2014 | 19.12

14 September 2014 Last updated at 12:40

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said the independence referendum was "a once in a generation opportunity" and he was aiming for "a substantial majority".

However, Better Together leader Alistair Darling said "there is no way back" from independence and his campaign would target undecided voters.

The latest opinion polls have suggested the vote is too close to call.

Both men were speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr show.

Mr Salmond said: "We're not aiming to win by one vote. We're aiming to achieve a substantial majority if we can."

He added: "We tend to take the attitude that there isn't so much as a 'No' voter in Scotland, there are only deferred 'Yeses', and that's been one of the successes of our campaign."

Alex Salmond

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Alex Salmond says the Scottish referendum is a "once in a generation opportunity"

Asked if he would seek another referendum if there was a "No" vote on Thursday, the SNP leader said: "If you remember that previous constitutional referendum in Scotland - there was one in 1979 and then the next one was 1997.

"That's what I mean by a political generation.

"In my opinion, and it is just my opinion, this is a once in a generation opportunity for Scotland."

'Biggest decision'

Mr Darling commented: "I said a year ago that this race would narrow as we got towards the wire and that is precisely what has happened.

"It's not surprising. It's the biggest single decision we will ever take.

"If we vote to leave the UK on Thursday then there's no going back. It's not like an election where you can change your mind if things don't work out.

"If things go wrong this time, we've already voted - we're leaving. There is no way back."

Mr Darling claimed large numbers of voters were "yet to make their minds up because it's that critical".

He added: "What does concern me is that five days before we go to the polling station, we still don't know the answer to basic questions."

He argued there was uncertainty over whether firms would move their headquarters out of Scotland and over how the NHS and pensions would be funded if the country became independent.

'Team Scotland'

Mr Salmond told the Andrew Marr programme, if "Yes" won there would "cease to be a 'Yes' campaign and a 'No' campaign - there will be a Team Scotland".

He said he wanted "as many voices as possible" and welcomed an indication from Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael last month that he would join such a negotiating team.

Mr Salmond said his negotiating team had "recruited specialism in a variety of fields".

The first minister renewed his claim that the Bank of England would be "a shared central bank" after independence.

"There will be a sustainability agreement between the governments in terms of borrowing levels and debt levels," he said.

"We set that out in our proposals."

The UK government has said it would not agree to a currency union with an independent Scotland, but Mr Salmond argued American economist Joseph Stiglitz had said "a shared currency is a very, very viable and common sense thing to do".

Leader of the Better Together campaign, Alistair Darling, on the Andrew Marr Show

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Alistair Darling: "We can have faster, better change for Scotland without the risks of independence"

The interviews came after Yes Scotland campaigners claimed their private canvassing showed "the votes are there for a 'Yes' majority".

However, Better Together said the "No" vote was "holding up", saying it would target 500,000 undecided voters.

Three polls have put the "No" campaign in the lead, while one has put the pro-independence "Yes" campaign ahead.

The latest poll of polls collating the six most recent surveys - carried out between 9 and 12 September and excluding "don't knows" - puts the "No" campaign on 51% and the "Yes" campaign on 49%.

The pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign has not revealed the number of people it has talked to during its private canvassing, but claimed to have achieved a higher return than ever before.

Elsewhere in the campaign:
  • A former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, told the Sunday Telegraph that a "Yes" vote could be "letting down" the Scottish soldiers who "died to keep Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom".
  • Artists including Franz Ferdinand, Amy Macdonald and Mogwai are due to perform at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh in a concert in support of independence.
  • Elsewhere in Edinburgh, supporters of Better Together will be photographed from the air in what the campaign has called "a big patriotic 'No'." The event was due to take place on Arthur's Seat, but has been moved.

Better Together campaign director Blair McDougall said polls showed the referendum vote was "on a knife-edge".

Better Together published a poll on Saturday suggesting 53.5% opposed independence and 46.5% backed it, when undecided voters were excluded.

The telephone poll, commissioned by Better Together from pollsters Survation, reached 1,044 respondents, with an effective sample size of 927.

Conducted between 10 and 12 September, it also pointed to a very high turnout, with 93% of voters surveyed saying they are certain to vote.

Another poll for the Observer newspaper, gave the "No" campaign a six point lead - 53% to the pro-independence campaign's 47%.

And a new Sunday Times poll - conducted by Panelbase - puts the voters who intended to vote "No" on 50.6% while the "Yes" campaign was on 49.4%.

However, an ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph has suggested Scotland could become independent, putting the "Yes" camp in the lead. Excluding undecided voters it found "Yes" to be on 54% and "No" on 46%.

The poll was carried out between 10 and 12 September and had a sample size of 705 - smaller than many of the other polls.

A referendum on whether Scotland should become independent is to take place

  • People resident in Scotland will be able to take part in the vote, answering the "Yes/No" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"
  • The referendum will take place on Thursday, 18 September 2014
  • Go to the BBC's Scotland Decides page for analysis, background and explainers on the independence debate.

Campaigning on the last weekend has been lively with thousands taking to the streets on Saturday to support both sides.

The campaigning followed interventions in the debate by businesses raising concerns about independence, which Yes campaigners claimed was "orchestrated" by the UK government.

Meanwhile, businessman John McGlynn, who founded Airlink car parks, has said he will vote "Yes" because an offer of more powers for Scotland from the No side had come too late.


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