Alex Salmond tells rally Scotland has 'natural majority' for independence

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/sep/21/alex-salmond-scotland-independence

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The Scottish first minister told thousands of pro-independence marchers in Edinburgh that there is a natural majority for Scottish independence.

Alex Salmond said: "There is now in this country a natural majority for a Yes vote. The people want a parliament that makes decisions for the people of Scotland."

He said he would keep Royal Mail in public hands and ban the bedroom tax in an independent Scotland that he led.

We will put "bairns before bombs", the Scottish National Party leader added as he talked about nuclear disarmament. "We have now in 362 days' time the opportunity of a lifetime. The forces against us thrive on doubt but they can be dispelled."

The Yes campaign said 20,000 people joined the march to mark the beginning of a year of campaigning until the independence referendum on 18 September.

Addressing the rally on Calton Hill, the Yes Scotland chief executive, Blair Jenkins, said: "I am asked a lot of questions as I take our message around the country. One question I am often asked is: What will we lose?

"Well, we would lose nuclear weapons, the bedroom tax, Tory governments we have never voted for, and what's not to love about that? We are the lucky generation that gets to vote for independence and vote for self-determination for our country."

Dennis Canavan, the chairman of the Yes Scotland Advisory Board, told the crowd that opinion polls which suggested Scots would not vote for independence should not worry them. "This campaign is more like a marathon rather than a short sprint. And having run a few marathons in my time, I know that the runner who is ahead at the halfway stage is not necessarily the winner of the race. We have the people with the stamina, guts and determination to win this campaign – and win it we shall."

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