Scotland Independence Referendum: Cameron To Visit Scotland In A Last Ditch Effort To Save The Union
Faced with the prospect of presiding over Britain's disintegration, in case Scotland decides to secede, British Prime Minister David Cameron has decided to make a last ditch effort to force Scots to say "No" in the referendum for next week, reported Reuters.
Pledging to do everything possible to keep the United Kingdom together, Cameron announced his visit to Scotland on Wednesday. The British Prime Minister said that though the choice rests with the Scottish people, the rest of the United Kingdom wanted them to stay. Cameron pointed out that all parties are setting aside the differences to make clear to the people of Scotland that they can have best of both worlds by rejecting the option of independence. Britain has promised more autonomy, if Scotland chooses to stay within the Union.
Better Together Campaign
In another initiative, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and some prominent leaders of three Westminster parties issued a joint statement and said that they would be listening and talking to voters regarding the choice they faced.
They were reacting to the statement made by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond that "Better Together" campaign has crashed after the opinion polls that showed the imminent outcome is in favour of Scotland's independence. Clegg reminded the Scot leader that there may be a lot of divides. But all will agree that the United Kingdom is better off when they are together.
Implications
There is a scramble by Britain's main political parties to safeguard the 307-year old union. The promises of autonomy may or may not swing the votes.
Scottish nationalist leader Alex Salmond said in Edinburgh that the writing on the wall is clear. Any campaign that seeks to oppose independence would fall apart.
The opinion poll held last week showed the number of "No" voters dropping to 39 percent, from the whopping 45 per cent a month ago. For the first time, the YouGov poll put the pro-independence camp in the lead.
The chain reaction on pro-independence surge had its toll on the British pound and British shares. There are also concerns as to how an independent Scotland would manage economically. Britain's mainstream parties have already ruled out a currency union with an independent Scotland.