Heated debate from scotland

The leaders in the battle for and against Scottish
independence have clashed in a heated live
television debate , six weeks ahead of a historic
referendum on whether Scotland should leave the
United Kingdom.
On Tuesday, First Minister Alex Salmond , leader of
the pro -independence Scottish National Party ( SNP) ,
went head -to- head for the first time with Alistair
Darling , a fellow Scot and leader of the "Better
Together " campaign.
" My case this evening is this : no one , no one will do
a better job of running Scotland than the people who
live and work in this country," Salmond said.
" On September 18 we have the opportunity of a
lifetime . We should seize that opportunity with both
hands. "
But Darling warned of the risks of going it alone and
argued that Scotland would pay too high a price to
leave the union , saying: "Remember this - if we
decide to leave there is no going back, there is no
second chance ."
Currency debate
Darling , who was Britain 's finance minister during
the 2008 economic crisis , pressed the SNP leader
early on his crucial claim that an independent
Scotland would continue to use the pound sterling
currency - something London says will not be
possible.
Salmond insisted this would not be a problem, and hit
back by asking Darling repeatedly whether he
believed Scotland could successfully be an
independent country, a question his opponent
dodged .
Their exchanges became increasingly heated , and at
one point Salmond was accused by an audience
member of being " snide " and giving a worrying
impression of what an independent Scotland would
be like .
Members of the public audience heckled, booed and
cheered the two men throughout, prompting the
moderator to ask them to show respect and allow
the politicians to be heard.
Both campaigns had said the debate could be a
turning point in the campaign for the September 18
referendum, when four million Scots will vote on their
future.
But in the end neither side delivered a knock -out
blow .
Public opinion
The pro - independence " Yes" campaign in particular
had seen the encounter as a vital opportunity to use
Salmond 's talent for debating to close a stubborn
gap in opinion polls.
A poll tracker by the Financial Times newspaper
currently puts the "Yes" vote at 36 percent, 10 points
behind those who would vote "No " to independence.
Some 16 percent remain undecided .
Ahead of the debate , the leaders of Britain's three
main parties vowed to hand over more powers to
Scotland 's devolved government if voters decide to
stay in the 307 - year- long union with England.
Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron,
opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband and Liberal
Democrat chief Nick Clegg , the deputy prime
minister, signed a joint declaration that would give
Edinburgh more tax- raising control .
Darling said that with these new powers Scotland
could have the " best of both worlds " - more control
and the support of a strong United Kingdom .
However , one of the key players in the campaign for
Scottish devolution in the late 1990 s, retired
clergyman Kenyon Wright , branded the promise of
new powers a "desperate bribe "