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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Scottish independence: Salmond attacks Osborne's currency case | Scottish independence: Salmond attacks Osborne's currency case |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has said a UK government attack on plans to keep the pound in an independent Scotland has "backfired". | |
| Mr Salmond said Chancellor George Osborne's move against a currency union had shown the "arrogance" of the Westminster parties. | |
| Last week, Mr Osborne said a vote for independence meant walking away from the pound. | |
| The row came ahead of the September 18 independence referendum. | The row came ahead of the September 18 independence referendum. |
| Mr Osborne's position that he could not support a currency union were backed by the other two main Westminster parties, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. | |
| Speaking in Aberdeen, Mr Salmond said "attempts to dictate from on high" the terms of the debate was damaging the democratic process. | Speaking in Aberdeen, Mr Salmond said "attempts to dictate from on high" the terms of the debate was damaging the democratic process. |
| He said Mr Orborne's position was not an economic assessment, but a "campaign tactic", adding that the "accumulated negativity" of the campaign to keep the Union, would "differ greatly from the reality of life" after the referendum. | |
| "To be told there are things we can't do will certainly elicit a Scottish response that is as resolute as it is uncomfortable to the 'No' campaign," said Mr Salmond. | |
| "It is, 'yes we can'. It is a sign of just how our of touch and arrogant the Westminster establishment has become." | |
| EU concern | |
| The first minister said the Scottish government's fiscal commission concluded last year that sharing the pound in a sterling zone was the best option for Scotland and the rest of the UK. | |
| Mr Salmond's speech also came after European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso cast doubt on Scotland's membership of the European Union in the event of a "Yes" vote. | Mr Salmond's speech also came after European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso cast doubt on Scotland's membership of the European Union in the event of a "Yes" vote. |
| Mr Barroso said it would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible" for an independent Scotland to join and that it would have to apply for membership and get the approval of all current member states. | Mr Barroso said it would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible" for an independent Scotland to join and that it would have to apply for membership and get the approval of all current member states. |
| But the first minister said the EU had admitted so many countries that a "pragmatic way" would be found in the case of Scotland. | But the first minister said the EU had admitted so many countries that a "pragmatic way" would be found in the case of Scotland. |
| Mr Salmond said no member state had suggested it would seek to block an independent Scotland from becoming an EU member. | Mr Salmond said no member state had suggested it would seek to block an independent Scotland from becoming an EU member. |
| Alistair Darling, leader of the pro-Union Better Together campaign and the UK's former chancellor, said the idea of a currency union did not "stack up" for Scotland or the rest of the UK. | |
| Mr Darling added that the, "wheels are falling off the independence wagon". |