As it happened: Scottish independence campaign, Thursday, September 11 - Telegraph.co.uk

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Asked why women last month described him in less favourable terms Mr Salmond says he won a Mumsnet poll and his fortunes were turning around.


He said: 'Perhaps I have managed to supress my unattractive qualities over the last few weeks and emerge as a part of a winning formula in a winning team.'


The SNP he says are people who have 'been exceptionally loyal to each other and that has been one of the secrets of our success'.


He says it is 'extraordinary' that this referendum will see an 80 per cent turn out and people registering to vote who have not been on the register since the poll tax.


However he denies there is division in Scotland that will need to be healed after the vote, instead an 'enlivening, passionate debate.'


After a yes vote he says there Scotland must cease to be Team Yes and Team No.


17.35: Amazing scenes as Barcelona's streets are filled with Catalans demanding a Scottish-style referendum



The Telegraph's Fiona Govan reports from Barcelona:


Hundreds of thousands of Catalans filled the streets of Barcelona today demanding the chance to hold a Scottish-style referendum on independence.


A week before Scotland goes to the polls on whether to breakaway from the United Kingdom, separatists in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia called for their own referendum as they celebrated their national day.


Crowds dressed in the red and yellow national colours of Catalonia filled the streets of the region's capital to form a giant 'V' stretching seven miles - the 'V' sign stands for via (way), voluntat (will), votar (vote) and victoria (victory).


Balconies across the city were draped in the estelada - the yellow and red stripped flag topped by a star set in a blue triangle - and the crowds were interspersed by people climbing on others' shoulders to form the traditional Catalan 'human castles'.


Earlier in the day Artur Mas, the president of the semi-autonomous region said that Scotland's upcoming vote would boost his own region's bid for independence.


Catalonia is battling to hold its own Scottish style vote on independence on November 9 but is on a collision course with the Spanish government of Mariano Rajoy after Madrid branded such a referendum illegal.


'If the yes wins (in Scotland) then all of the European governments will have to accept the result, including Madrid. And I am convinced that the negotiations between Brussels, London and Edinburgh will start very quickly with the goal to keep Scotland in the European Union.'


17.22: William Hague is addressing Scottish Tories and says 'I am not Scottish, I am not a foreigner'


17.04: Scotland's sense of humour is still in tact


4.46: Scottish Labour leader has responded to the IFS report suggesting NHS would be better off in the Union



Johann Lamont said: 'The SNP lies about our NHS have been the most shameful piece of political campaigning I have ever seen. They have deliberately misled the Scottish public, and preyed on the fears of the most vulnerable people in our communities to bully them into voting for separation.


'This expert, impartial report has exposed that what Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon, Alex Neil and the rest of the nationalist campaign are saying about the NHS is completely untrue.


16.21: 8,000 school children aere waiting for Nicola Sturgeon and George Galloway. And they are bored.




The Proclaimers


Ben Riley-Smith, Scottish Political Reporter, has this report from the televised debate at Glasgow's SSE Hydro:


What happens when you put thousands of excitable teenagers in a stadium and make them listen to politicians? The BBC are about to find out.


Some 8,000 school children from across the country have been shipped to Glasgow's SSE Hydro for a live televised TV debate on independence.


The show, due to go out at 9pm tonight on BBC Scotland, boasts a line-up of top politicians including the Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's Deputy First Minister, Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens leader, Ruth Davidson, Scottish Tory leader, and George Galloway.


But judging by the tweets already filtering out of the stadium - alongside the hashtag '#bigbigdebate' - the ins and outs of currency unions may not be top of mind for the young attendees.


'When are The Proclaimers coming on?,' asked one. 'Stop doing the Mexican wave,' tweeted another. Other insights include 'too many guys that don't tuck their shirts in' and 'a lot of flashers at the Hydro', plus many too rude for us to repeat.


Whether the excitement bubbles over into chanting or heckling of the panel, we'll have to wait and see.


16.13: North Korea are backing Scottish Independence... to increase whisky sales



The Telegraph's Julian Ryall in Tokyo has this: North Korea is quietly backing the Yes vote in Scotland and would be keen to increase trade with a newly independent Edinburgh, according to officials of the Pyongyang regime.


'I think that independence would be a very positive thing for Scotland,' Choe Kwan-il, managing editor of the Choson Sinbo newspaper, told The Telegraph.


Supported by Pyongyang, the Tokyo-based publication provides news to an estimated 200,000 Koreans who live in Japan but swear allegiance - and send vast amounts of financial support - to North Korea.


'We have not reported on the vote in Scotland yet, but we will after it has happened,' Choe said.


'I believe that every person has the right to be a member of an independent nation, to have sovereignty, to live in peace and to enjoy equality,' he said. 'And I believe that a majority of Scots feel the same and will vote for independence.'


He added: 'I believe independence will be positive as it will encourage personal exchanges and provide both countries with business chances,' said Choe. 'North Korea is rich in natural resources and we like the taste of Scotch whisky, so we can be beneficial to each other.'


16.06: Scots are enjoying 'upsetting the apple cart', says Charles Kennedy




The Telegraph's Christopher Hope and Michael Deacon photobomb Charles Kennedy


Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent, has this update from the 'no' campaign trail in Glasgow


Scots are enjoying 'upsetting the apple cart' by having a referendum which could break up the United Kingdom, a former leader of the Liberal Democrats has said.


Charles Kennedy, who was LibDem leader from 1999 to 2006 and represents a Highlands seat, made the comments on a visit to the West End of Glasgow.


He told The Daily Telegraph: 'Scotland is quite enjoying it. It is part of Scotland's psyche to (a) enjoy being in the limelight and (b) having the potential to absolutely upset the apple cart.


'Human nature being what it is. There is a glow about that. You are all having to jump to our tune, at the moment and that is no bad thing.'


'Asked if Scots were being mischievous by having a referendum, he added: 'Oh no I would not dismiss it as that. No, nature being what it is there is an element of that.'


Four million Scots will have be asked whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom in the referendum on Thursday next week.


Speaking on the campaign trail, the Liberal Democrat MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber forecast that the final result on Friday next week would be very close, saying it will 'tight on the night'.


Mr Kennedysaid that it was 'entirely appropriate' that Westminster politicans were now involved in the referendum campaign.


He said that he 'was at all surprised that it will be tight on the night'.


He added that he would have preferred that the Government and former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown had published the plans for new powers for a devolved Scotland a year ago - rather than this week.


He said: 'I very much welcome what Gordon has done. I have full support of it. I think it is an excellent initiative. I wish it had been done a year ago quite frankly but we are where we are.'


15.47: Better Together claim five banks have confirmed they will move registered office to London: Tesco Bank, TSB, Lloyds, RBS and Clydesdale


Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has said this represented 'all of Scotland's major banks' putting in place contingency plans to relocate their HQ functions and 'is of the utmost seriousness for Scotland.


He added: 'In the short term, jobs and tax revenues would be lost. But in the longer term, the centre of gravity and decision-making of Scotland's financial sector would have shifted to a foreign country. This would have the much more profound consequence of the steady erosion of the jobs and prosperity that this sector has brought to Scotland for two centuries.'


The 'yes' campaign say this is scaremongering and will leave jobs and service unaffected in Scotland.


15.21: There is a town in Scotland called Dull and it is twinned with the town of Boring in the US



Rosa Prince, US Correspondent brings this message to Dull from Boring.


The people of Boring, Oregon, twinned with Dull, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, have spoken. Drumroll....


'As an American citizen who has read every word of our constitution, I believe in the people and their ability to decide their own fate,' Michael Fitz, the chairman of the Boring Community Council told The Telegraph. 'I would never in a million years tell the Scottish people what they should do.


'If they decide they want to be independent, all power to them.'


Steve Bates, his predecessor as the town's de facto mayor, added: 'Here in Oregon, a lot of people are not aware of the Scottish independence vote.


'I'm just glad people are getting to vote on it. The ability to vote is such an important thing. I'm so far away from where they live I wouldn't presume to express a view. I support whatever the will of the people is.'


Well that was boring.


15.07 Ladbrokes have got some interesting info on how the betting market is reacting to recent developments


* 58% of bets have been for YES


* 90% of all bets from Scotland since the second debate have been for YES.


* The biggest bet was £200k on NO at 1/5, from a customer in Glasgow


* It's 6/1 that Salmond quits as FM within 48 hours of the result


* It's 4/1 that Cameron is replaced as PM this year


Accoring to Ladbrokes the markets have swung heavily back towards NO since yesterday.


They say this is on course to be the biggest political betting event in history - estimated £25m bet across the industry.


14.30 Asda chief has joined John Lewis Chairman to warn of prices rise in event of independence



Andy Clarke CEO of Asda has said prices would rise in an independent Scotland. The the supermarket would have to 'reflect' the costs of operating in Scotland, he said.


He said this was not an argument 'for or against independence' but an 'honest recognition' of the increase in prices Scottish shoppers could soon face.


He said: 'If we were no longer to operate in one state with one market and - broadly - one set of rules, our business model would inevitably become more complex. We would have to reflect our cost to operate here.


'This is not an argument for or against independence, it is simply an honest recognition of the costs that change could bring. For us the customer is always right and this important decision is in their hands'


14.25: Here is our latest dispatch from Christopher Hope on the 'no' campaign trail in Glasgow


Christopher Hope, Political Correspondent reports: Labour MPs were branded 'slaves' and 'traitors' as they held a pro-Union rally in the shadow of the statue of former First Minister Donald Dewar today.


Ed Miliband, the Labour leader struggled to make himself heard over the booing and shouting from Yes supporters.


Around 100 Labour MPs had earlier arrived from London by train and marched from Glasgow Central station to the statue of Mr Dewar, who was Labour first minister from 1999 to 2000.


Police officers were required to keep order as Yes campaigners tried to muscle in on the demonstration in favour of the Union by the MPs and Labour activists.


Mr Miliband said there was 'no better place to stand than by the statue of Donald Dewar' and that Scots should not listen to the 'lies and scaremongering of the SNP'.


14.11: We have tracked down the Navy veteran who took on the Scottish finance minister over pensions this morning


Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent reports: John Tubey, 66, an avionics engineer for an Aberdeen helicopter firm, told Mr Swinney it was 'diabolical' that a poll showing a lead for the separatist campaign had wiped thousands of pounds from his pension fund.


Mr Swinney insisted 'volatility' was a normal reaction to markets to political events.


Billions of pounds was wiped off the value of Scottish businesses on Monday morning as markets balked at the prospect of independence, after YouGov gave the Yes campaign a two-point lead.


Mr Swinney cited the call from Angus Grossart, the chairman of Noble Grossart bank, who said it was 'a time for cool heads in the market'.


But Mr Tubey suggested Mr Swinney was wrong, saying: 'I look at it every month and there's been a steady rise over the past five years actually.'


Mr Tubey, originally from Derby, has worked in Scotland since 1981 after retiring as a helicopter engineer in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. His firm provides aircraft for the oil industry and search and rescue teams.


The loss of £7,000 from his defined contribution scheme amounted to three-months' contribution. Mr Tubey said he had increased his payments to save as much as possible ahead of retirement.


He told the Telegraph that he was 'really worried' by the prospect of independence.


'I wasn't trying to be selfish - I was thinking of everybody else. I can't be going through this on my own. I've been putting as much as I can in lately, because I've been getting close to retirement.'


'I made a point of looking yesterday that I'd heard that Standard Life had taken a big hit. I imagine it will take another hit if Scotland goes independent.'


13.53: An IFS analysis has suggested that Scotland's NHS would be better off in the Union


The Institute for Fiscal Studies said that in the short term it is 'hard to see how independence could allow Scotland to spend more on the NHS than would be possible within a Union where it will have significant tax raising powers and considerable say over spending priorities.'


A longer term analysis argues that 'the eventual fall in oil revenues and an ageing population could make for a tougher fiscal outlook for Scotland than the rest of the UK and hence less room for additional spending on things like the NHS.'


The study was carried out as an 'impartial analysis' to break through political rhetoric.


'First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that a 'Yes' to independence would free the Scottish NHS from an agenda of privatisation and public spending cuts. On the contrary, say the 'No' campaign: an independent Scotland's precarious government finances would mean a need for 'austerity plus' that would put NHS funding at risk. Gordon Brown has said he wants to 'Nail the NHS lie' of the 'Yes' campaign.'


13.49 Tatler reports the firece opposition to independence from Scottish aristocrats


'As one whose family was involved in the 1707 Act of Union, I can't really comment on the referendum,' barks one of the country's pre-eminent dukes. 'But the buggers are out to get us!' is just a taster


It is written by their features editor who's name is Sophia Money-Coutts. You couldn't make it up.


13.37 Latin experts have pointed to a mistake in Boris Johnson's Latin plea


13.31: Scottish architects are backing the yes vote


This is a fascinating poll by the Architecture Journal - much has been made from the no side that skilled jobs would haemorrhage to London in the event of independence.


However the poll shows 59 per cent are in favour - well above the national average.


Alasdair Stephen, of RIBA Award-winning Dualchas Architects and a member of the Architects for Yes group said:


'Scotland will have more self-confidence, which will be reflected in our architecture.


'We will be equal with other nations in the world and we will realise that our architecture should be just as good. A lack of confidence and invisibility is preventing it from being so.'


13.29 Andrew Tyrie has said it was 'immensely helpful' that Mark Carney made his comments on the currency yesterday


The chair of the Treasury Select Committee said the Governor of the Bank of England, a Canadian, had 'been here before' when Quebec came close to voting for independence in 1997


13.15: Boris has just said Scottish people do not understand the implications of independence and are 'waking up from a trance'.


During a Q&A on Twitter the Mayor of London was asked if Scottish people 'fully understand what it would mean if they left' he responded: 'no i think we are just waking up from a trance. i cannot believe that Scottish people would want to annihilate Britain'


In another response he added: 'a break-up would be a disaster for Britain - and for London. Stick with us Scotland!'


13.10: Boris chooses to ask Scotland to stay in typical style - teaching East London kids how to say London loves Scotland in Latin



13.03: Despatch from Alex Salmond's hour and a half of 'recriminations, allegations and heated exchanges'


Ben Riley-Smith, Scottish Political Correspondent, reports:


It was meant to be a love-in with the international media, but this morning's press conference with the First Minister descended into an hour and a half of recriminations, allegations and heated exchanges.


Speaking at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre - the same venue, incidentally, which hosted the Scottish Tories' spring conference - Alex Salmond used his floweriest rhetoric to predict the 'irresistible' march towards a Yes vote during an opening speech


And while journalists from as far and wide as Canada, Brazil, Australia and Spain got to ask questions, it was the heated exchanges with British media - in particular the BBC's Nick Robinson - that will likely grab headlines.


Asked about the consequences if RBS moved its HQ south and the impact of business interventions more generally, the First Minister criticised the BBC's reporting of the story during a lengthy response.


'Would you like to answer the question?' Mr Robinson called out repeatedly from the audience as Mr Salmond attempted to move on. 'Would you like to answer the question?'


Mr Salmond responded: 'Nick, I'm going back to our friends in the international media.'


Mr Robinson continued to call for an answer, demanding to know if there are any tax consequences of RBS's announcement.


'Nick, this has been a lively campaign with heckling at many meetings across Scotland. This is the first opportunity the BBC have had to heckle at a meeting. Congratulations Nick,' said Mr Salmond.


The First Minister added that he had already answered the question, saying a firm's corporation tax payments are 'based on economic activity not on your registered office'.


Intriguingly, the First Minister's putdowns of Mr Robinson and the BBC more generally drew wild celebration from a small cohort of unidentified, apparently pro-independence individuals.


'Get out' shouted one as Mr Robinson pressed for an answer, before clapping and pantomime laughing as Mr Salmond struck back. This was not, it's safe to say, a member of either the British or international media - a strange attendee at a formal press conference that demanded pre-registration.


12.49: The #Labourtrain has arrived in Glasgow.. to be greeted by an angry 'yes' heckler



Labour MPs are branded 'the imperial party' and their supporters are being branded 'slaves'


12.36: Salmond's war on the BBC



Peter Dominiczak, Political Editor, reports from Edinburgh: 'Alex Salmond has declared war on the BBC, demanding an official leak inquiry into whether the Treasury briefed the Corporation about an RBS warning over Scottish independence.


'The SNP leader refused to ask questions about the warnings from banks and oil industry figures over the prospect of a Yes vote and instead accused Nick Robinson, the BBC's political editor, of 'heckling' him.


'It will fuel accusations that Mr Salmond is unable to answer tough questions about Scotland's economic prospects in the event of independence.


'It was disclosed today that the Royal Bank of Scotland has drawn up plans to move its head office away from Scotland if the country votes to leave the UK next week.'


12.16: A record-breaking 4.3 million have registered to vote in Scottish referendum, the highest number in Scottish electoral history



A total of 4,285,323 people have registered to vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum on Thursday 18 September, making it the largest electorate ever in Scotland for an election or referendum. Over a hundred thousand people have registed in the last six weeks, the figures reveal.


The total electorate figure for the whole of Scotland includes 789,024 people who have applied for a postal vote - the largest volume of registration for postal votes ever in Scotland.


Chief Counting Officer (CCO) for the Scottish Independence Referendum said: 'I want everyone's vote to count, whether they are voting by post or in person at a polling place on 18 September. It's vital that everyone takes great care when completing their ballot paper. Mistakes mean that a ballot paper may not be counted.'


She warned voters to only put one X on the ballot paper, and postal voters are encouraged to double check their date of birth and signature will match those on record.


Across Scotland, there are 2,608 polling places with a total of 5,579 polling stations.


11.53: William Hague has refused to rule out postponing next year's election in the event of a 'yes' vote


The Commons Leader stressed that the prospect of delaying the election has not been discussed in Government.


But he insisted any implications of a Yes vote in the independence referendum should be discussed afterwards.


Mr Hague urged MPs who favour the Union to concentrate on campaigning and arguing for a No vote on September 18.


He was responding to Peter Bone, the MP for Wellingborough, who asked whether the Government had any intention to delay the election.


The prospect has been raised as a means of stopping a situation in which a government could be reliant on Scottish MPs for a majority.


11.36: Alex Salmond and the BBC's Nick Robinson are coming to (verbal) blows


First minister is returning to earlier theme and accusing the BBC of bias in the reporting of RBS's intention to redomicile in case of a 'yes' vote.


11.32: Polls, polls, polls



The No campaign will be feeling more buoyant this morning after a Survation poll released last night gave them a six-point lead, but the Yes campaign's shock lead in a poll earlier this week really set the cat among the pigeons.


The Telegraph's Michael Wilkinson has been tracking the polls, showing how they have dramatically narrowed over time.


Take a look at our poll tracker


11.11 Gordon Brown has said he could stand as an MSP in the Scottish Parliament if Salmond continues to 'peddle lies' about the NHS



Peter Dominiczak, Political Editor, reports:


Gordon Brown has said that he could stand for election in the Scottish Parliament if Alex Salmond continues to 'peddle lies' about the NHS.


The former prime minister said that he may stand as an MSP in order to 'fight' the Scottish National Party leader.


In a passionate attack on Mr Salmond's campaign to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom, Mr Brown accused the Yes campaign of using the NHS as a 'Trojan Horse' for separation.


11.02: Here is the full text of RBS boss Ross McEwan's internal email sent to all his staff this morning




thanks to @nicksutton for the pic,click here for a bigger version


10.54: Christopher Hope is on the campaign trail with Charles Kennedy who is being chased by a rogue bunch of 'yes' balloons



10.32: Gordon Brown says many other supermarkets are going to come out and say food prices will go up in an independent Scotland



Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondentis in Kilmarnock and reports:


Gordon Brown is here to tell an audience of pensioners the NHS is better and safer with 'Labour's Scottish Parliament' than with the SNP's independence.


Mr Brown said: 'John Lewis is worried about price rises and many other supermarkets are going to say the same.


'The oil companies are worried about cuts in investment which will affect jobs in Scotland. Jobs will certainly go in the banks and financial institutions if they move their headquarters to the rest of the country. We know now that we have a pounds6 billion black hole that the SNP cannot find an explanation for filling.


'Mr Ian Wood, the oil expert, said yesterday that the oil revenues were far less than the SNP were claiming.


'And now we find that we have proposals for a stronger Scottish Parliament in the UK that meets the aspirations for change of the people of Scotland without the chaos, the uncertainty and the instability and the economic minefield that we would be entering with the proposals of the Scottish National Party.'


10.23 Christopher Hope our Senior Politcal Correspondent was diverted to Scotland without a spare shirt or a toothbrush to his name


His tribulations have now made it into the diary page of the Scottish Herald


10.19 #Labourtrain update - Andy Burnham just got on at Wigan


10.15: Following the FT's endorsement of the Better Together 'yes' might need to do a bit of rebranding



10.01: 'What is the point' of Independence, Nick Clegg asks, if Scotland are going to share the currency as he brand's Alex Salmond's dismissal of financial warnings as 'comical'


If Scotland end up with a shared currency and even more reliant on the economic policy and decisions taken in another country


Sharing the currency with separate institutions create an 'inbuilt tension' which would become 'increasingly unsustainable' and will eventually come full circle


He told LBC: 'That begs the question, in a sense what is the point of becoming independent if, in fact, your economic policy will become more dependent on decisions made in another country.'


9.48: Are these the graphs which finally nail the coffin shut on the Nationalists' cause?


Ben Riley-Smith, Scottish Political Reporter, has this analysis:


The pro-UK side will certainly be hoping so as they dig through the breakdown of the Daily Record's Survation poll, putting the No campaign ahead by six points.


The first shows that with just a week to go, the Yes campaign has failed to majorly extend independence's appeal beyond the central belt of Scotland. Besides parts of that region, no area is predicted to back Yes.



Chart by @election_data


The second knocks the legs off Alex Salmond's claim of Yes camp momentum, suggesting any tightening in the polls over the last month has been far too little, too late.



chart by @MSmithsonPB


Just as Yes were urging caution when YouGov put them ahead over the weekend, so Better Together aren't in bragging mood this morning. But with seven days remaining, that all important 'momentum' seems like it's fading away.


09.14: A caller tells John Swinney he has lost £7,000 in his Standard Life fund since the weekend.


John Swinney says there are 'all sorts of different factors' that affect these funds. 'What I am interested in is making sure that we create stability for companies like Standard Life and that is why I am arguing for the currency union.'


The caller to BBC Radio Scotland hits back, saying that for working men to lose £7,000 in a weekend is 'diabolical'


09.12: The Scotsman and the Financial Times have come out in support of Better Together


Today's FT editorial reads: 'Empires and nation states are not immune to break-up, but there is little precedent for a hitherto stable modern democracy splitting apart in peacetime, in the middle of an economic recovery. This is not the time for recrimination. For the moment, it is enough for this newspaper to declare that the path of separation is a fool's errand, one fraught with danger and uncertainty.'


The Scotsman reads: 'Does the Union cast a dark shadow over us? It does not seem that way, Scotland is a prosperous, peaceful, successful country. We are confident in our national identity with our own distinctive society. We have our history and heritage.


'So, with the choices before us, the conclusion is that we are better together, that Scotland's best interests lie not in creating division but in continuing in the Union and using its strengths to help us continue in our success.


Better Together have issued this statement from Blair McDougall it's campaign director: 'This is an important moment in the campaign. Alex Salmond never tires of quoting the Financial Times, yet here the paper has delivered a damning verdict on his economic case for breaking up the UK.


'Key to this is the abject failure of Alex Salmond to spell out his Plan B on what would replace the pound. Scots have no idea what wages, pensions and benefits would be paid in, or what money we would use to pay for our NHS.


'We haven't a clue what currency we would use to pay for shopping and supermarket bills. People in Scotland are being asked to vote on the basis of crossed fingers and blind faith'


09.03 there are currently 70 Labour MPs on the 07.30am Euston to Glasgow in a bid to save the Union


Journalists are dubbing it the #labourtrain with Harriet Harman, Margaert Hodge Tristam Hunt and Peter Hain among many others.


But will they manage to convince the Scots to choochoose No? (sorry)


The Guardian's Esther Addley reports that all the MPs are sitting in standard class.


08.53: John Swinney denies yesterday was 'black Wednesday' but a 'racheting up of the campaign against independence'



The Scottish finance minister says that Westminster leaders were just making a 'day trip' to Scotland.


He tells BBC Radio Scotland that the 'yes' campaign have admitted Independence is not going to be a 'magic wand'. However he says independence Scotland can 'get past those obstacles' if they have the independent rights to make decisions to deal with them.


'We would be a very strange country if we didn't have challenges.'


Mr Swinney is doing a phone-in with listeners for the next hour so I will keep you updated.


Mr Swinney appears to be a litte flummoxed by caller who says that Scotland cannot join the EU if it keeps the pound against the decision of the remainder of the UK.


He says an emphatic yes vote will put pressure on the UK to allow a currency union to fufill EU requirements. The caller tells him that his plans for currency are jsut based on 'the assumption' that the UK Treasury will agree and that is a risk too far.


8.13: Alex Salmond is on BBC Radio Scotland now and is repeatedly refusing to address any concerns over RBS and Lloyds



Instead he says, 'what really concerns me is how this information was released to the BBC' and says that BBC should reveal the name of the source at the Treasury who told them about RBS.


He says they will have no impact on operations and jobs and are simlpy about 'brass plaques'.


He told BBC Radio Scotland: 'You asked me if I was concerned. What concerned me is not the impact on jobs because there will be none - because I have just read out the letter [from RBS] - what really concerns me is how this information was released to the BBC.


'Let me report from your website last night - not a notice to the market this morning but a Treasury source told the BBC that it had discussed the matter with the Royal Bank of Scotland.


'So the first news of this came from the BBC from a source within the UK Government, from a source within the Treasury, not from a letter from the chief executive which was issued this morning which makes it clear there is not impact on operations or jobs but it is part of a political gambit during this referendum campaign from the United Kingdom Government


'Perhaps the BBC today will investigate or even reveal who that source was.'


He said that a big majority of Scots want a currency union and that they do not believe that Westminster would block one.


He added: 'We know when the need for scaremongering is over in approximately eight days time the UK Government will be first to the table to look for that currency union.'


Our Scottish Political editor, Simon Johnson points out Mr Salmond also appeared to confirm he has not factored in billions of pounds of reserves Mark Carney says would be required to keep sterling outside a currency union.


8.10: RBS has confirmed speculation that it would move holding company and head office to London


As part of such contingency planning, RBS believes that it would be necessary to re-domicile the Bank's holding company and its primary rated operating entity (The Royal Bank of Scotland plc) to England. In the event of a 'Yes' vote, the decision to re-domicile should have no impact on everyday banking services used by our customers throughout the British Isles. However, RBS believes that it would be the most effective way to provide clarity to all our stakeholders and mitigate the risks previously identified in our Annual Report.


The vote on independence is a matter for the Scottish people. Scotland has been RBS's home since 1727. RBS intends to retain a significant level of its operations and employment in Scotland to support its customers there and the activities of the whole Bank.


7.32 The chair of the John Lewis Partnership has warned that Scots will face higher prices across retailers in the case of a 'yes vote'



Sir Charlie Mayfield, the Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership said it was 'most probable that most retailers' would hike prices for their goods in an independent Scotland.


He said costs to transport and sell products were higher in parts of Scotland but that these differences are currently off-set by the business in the rest of the UK.


He also said that while John Lewis would work 'extremely hard' to keep the partnership going in an independent Scotland he would 'regret' anything that would create a 'significant divergence' between the two countries.


He said: 'There are economic consequences to a yes vote not just in uncertainly but some of the turmoil we are hearing about. And it is also the case that it does cost more money to trade more money in parts of Scotland and therefore those high costs in the case of the yes vote are more likely to be passed on, and a number of retailers have said that.


'On the day after the referendum the shops are going to open on time nothing will change, a great difficulty everyone has is the uncertainties that surround it.


'It does currently cost for various reasons - regulation, transport costs etc, it does cost more money to serve parts of Scotland but most retailers don't run differ prices they absorb that in the totality.


'If you just go forward several years -the sort of divergence of different things and particularly currency creates the likelihood, not the certainty that cost would be higher. And when you are talking about two different countries I think it is most probable that most retailers will start pricing differently and my view would be that that would lead to some higher prices.'


Asked about the future of John Lewis in Scotland he said he felt 'most strongly' that the 'thriving business across the United Kingdom' continue.


He said: 'In a way this is the point I feel more strongly about -we are one partnership and that has served us really well across the United Kingdom - we have built a thriving business and I hope we will continue to do that.


'Whatever happens in the referendum we will continue and work extremely hard to make sure that we continue to be one partnership but I would regret anything which started to create divergence and really significant differences in the conditions in the two markets if that's what we were faced with which made it harder to achieve that, because we are one partnership, we are one family it would be great to absolutely stay that way.'


07.25: Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, says next week's vote should not be called an Independence referendum - but instead simply a separation from Britain.


The SNP, he writes on Telegraph.co.uk, is the voice of 'anti-Englishness' and David Cameron has 'walked straight into a long planned ambush' by offering the referendum in the first place.


The piece in full is here


07.10 Good morning, Georgia here again, with just one week to the referendum I'll be bringing you all the developments of today's campaign for and against Scottish independence and updates from our correspondents across Scotland and Westminster.


The 'no' camp will be tucking into their frosties with a little more gusto this morning after the surge towards the 'yes' campaign appears to have been, at least temporarily, halted.



Crucially big blue chip organisations - apparently independent of the political rhetoric of the debate - have come out in force to reveal their contingency plans for moving South in the event of a no vote.


Although many of the institutions - which include BP and Standard Life but the big banks Lloyd's and RBS - have indicated that they would consider such a move before it is a real blow to Salmond's independence bandwagon and calls his economic credibility into stark question.


Better Together will be forgiven for breathing a brief sigh of relief after yesterday's extraordinary scenes which saw the three party leaders join forces charge into Scotland to beg undecided voters to save the Union.


A combination of this previously unseen vigour and emotion from the 'no' camp and a new, more favourable, poll showing 53 per cent of people in favour and 47 per cent against (when undecided voters are discounted) mean the 'scramble for Scotland', as one paper puts it, can a little more relaxed today.


The poll - of 1000 Scots - was for the most part carried out over last weekend, before the big push from the 'no' camp and the apparent surge for yes after Sunday's Yougov poll out 'yes' ahead for the first time.


However it also shows one in ten Scots are still undecided how to vote.


With just one week to go it just goes to show just how close the debate about Scotland's future has become, and we'll be follow developments here all day.











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