Scotland: Rivals Clash Again in Independence Debate
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Version 0 of 1. The leading rivals on the issue of whether Scotland should vote for independence from the United Kingdom clashed Monday in their second and final televised debate ahead of next month’s independence referendum. During an acrimonious 90-minute exchange, Alex Salmond, the first minister of the Scottish government and a longtime proponent of independence, appeared to gain the upper hand over his opponent, Alistair Darling, a former chancellor of the Exchequer and a member of the Labour Party, accusing him of siding with the austerity policies of the conservative government in London: “You’re in bed with the Tory Party,” Mr. Salmond said. The question of which currency an independent Scotland would use if Britain refused to share the pound again featured prominently, and Mr. Darling repeatedly challenged Mr. Salmond to reveal his “Plan B.” Mr. Salmond, who had been on the defensive on this point during the first debate, was better prepared this time. Refusing to be drawn in a debate over an alternative, he said that it was in the best interests of Scotland to continue to use the pound and that he wanted a mandate from the Scottish people to negotiate a currency union after a vote for independence. |