Campaigns seize on Scotland pledge

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 16 September 2014 | 19.21

16 September 2014 Last updated at 12:01

Both sides in the Scottish independence referendum debate have seized on a pledge by the three main Westminster parties to devolve more powers.

The pledge, signed by David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, also promises equitable sharing of resources and preserving the Barnett funding formula.

The "Yes" campaign described it as an "insult" to voters and asked why it had taken so long to offer.

"Better Together" said it was "a vision around which Scotland can unite".

In other developments:

  • Social media giant Facebook has seen 10 million interactions concerning the Scottish independence referendum in a five-week period.
  • Confidential papers passed to the BBC suggest a radical cost-saving plan will be implemented in the Scottish NHS after the referendum.
  • Business leaders have called for unity on Friday regardless of the outcome of the referendum. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce said, whatever the result, the country must work together to drive Scotland forward.
  • Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Finance Secretary John Swinney have met apprentices at Steel Engineering in Renfrew. They said independence would allow Scotland's economy to grow by securing job creating powers.
  • Labour leader Ed Miliband and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown are on the campaign trail for Better Together. Mr Miliband will say a vote for independence will be "an irreversible decision" and "a risk to jobs".
  • Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has given his backing for a 'Yes' vote on Thursday. His declaration comes more than a week after the group "Footballers for No" spoke out.

The pledge signed by the Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem leaders appears on the front of the Daily Record newspaper.

The first part of the agreement promises "extensive new powers" for the Scottish Parliament "delivered by the process and to the timetable agreed" by the three parties.

The second says the leaders agree that "the UK exists to ensure opportunity and security for all by sharing our resources equitably".

The third "categorically states" that the final say on funding for the NHS will lie with the Scottish government "because of the continuation of the Barnett allocation for resources, and the powers of the Scottish Parliament to raise revenue".

The Barnett formula is the method used to determine the distribution of public spending around the UK.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast for Yes Scotland, Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon derided the timing and sincerity of the pledge.

She said: "If there was a serious intention to deliver more powers, why hasn't that happened before now?

"Tory MPs, including Christopher Chope, have already said they would block more powers. If we vote 'No', there are no guarantees at all."

She added: "They [the pro-Union parties] are treating voters in Scotland with contempt."

Asked how a "Yes" vote guarantee "better lives" for people in Scotland, Ms Sturgeon replied: "Independence is not a magic wand, but it is a massive opportunity.

Nicola Sturgeon

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Nicola Sturgeon: "If we want to guarantee the powers we need, the way to do that is to vote yes"

"We can make life better, not overnight, but over time."

Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander, speaking for Better Together, denied the powers pledge had come too late in the referendum debate.

Penultimate day

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: "Here in Scotland, we have been talking about these powers for many months. What we are saying today is we can have the best of both worlds. We can have a stronger Scottish parliament but with the strength, stability and security of the United Kingdom.

"That pledge, that vow that we can have faster, safer, better change is actually a vision around which Scotland can unite."

Douglas Alexander

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Douglas Alexander says the pledge represents "the best of both worlds"

He added: "I don't think there's any embarrassment about placing policies on the front page of papers with just days to go. I think the 'Yes' campaign are struggling.

"The economic risks suddenly became very real last week, and at the same time we are offering what I believe most of us here in Scotland want, which is faster, safer and better change."

Mr Alexander dismissed "Yes" campaign claims that independence is the only way to get the government Scotland votes for.

The pledges were first outlined by the former prime minister, Gordon Brown, on Monday and subsequently endorsed by the three main unionist parties in Scotland.

On the penultimate day of campaigning ahead of Thursday's referendum, the "Yes" side is focusing on jobs and the NHS, while the "No" side is promising change and a "better Britain".

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Finance Secretary John Swinney have met apprentices at an engineering firm in Renfrew where they argued that independence would allow Scotland's economy to grow, creating jobs and opportunities.

Ms Sturgeon is due to meet carers later to talk about the NHS and welfare reform.

Ahead of the visit, she said: "In just two days' time, polling stations will open and voters across the country will hold Scotland's future in their hands. Independence is our opportunity to build a better future - creating jobs and protecting our NHS.

"Only a 'Yes' vote will ensure we have full powers over job creation - enabling us to create more and better jobs across the country. So instead of almost 40,000 young people leaving Scotland each year as is currently the case, there will be more opportunities for our young people here at home.

"As part of the UK, our NHS budget faces knock-on impacts of the privatisation, cuts and charging agenda that is ripping the health service south of the border to bits. With a 'Yes' vote we can ensure our NHS is protected for future generations by enshrining it in our written constitution."

Uncertain economics

Robert Peston, BBC Economic editor

Here is the bad news if you haven't made up your mind whether to vote for Scotland to become independent - economic analysis cannot give you the answer.

That is partly because this dismal science is not capable of giving wholly (and sometimes even partly) accurate forecasts about the future prosperity of nations.

Look at the case of a comparably sized small country, Ireland. A decade ago many economists (and others) saw it as a rip-roaring success, that had become considerably richer on a per-head basis than the UK.

Then three years ago it looked like a total basket case, as its property sector and banks imploded.

Today it can be seen as a model of how a determined small country can reconstruct its economy in adversity, in stark contrast to the inertia in a bigger country such as Italy.

Read more from Robert Peston's blog here.

Labour leader Ed Miliband and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown are out on the campaign trail for Better Together.

Mr Miliband will say a vote for independence will be "an irreversible decision" and "a risk to jobs, the economy and the NHS" and he will highlight the offer of more powers from the pro-Union parties.

He is expected to say: "In the next 48 hours Scotland faces a historic decision which will shape its future and the whole of the UK's future for centuries to come.

"The will of the people of Scotland for economic and political change has been heard and we will deliver.

"Change is coming with more powers on tax and welfare for the Scottish Parliament.

"We will change the British state too, the House of Lords and the way we work together across our nations. I ask the people of Scotland to lead that change of our whole British constitution."


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