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Scottish independence: Referendum campaigns mark 100 day milestone Scottish independence: Referendum campaigns mark 100 day milestone
(about 4 hours later)
Both sides in the Scottish independence debate are marking the milestone of 100 days to go in the referendum campaign. Campaigners in the Scottish independence debate have marked 100 days until the referendum.
First Minister Alex Salmond said the "credibility" of the pro-independence campaign would lead it to victory. First Minister Alex Salmond said there was enough time for the "Yes" campaign to close the gap on opponents, ahead of the 18 September vote.
But the pro-UK Better Together campaign said the nationalists were "running out of time". Alistair Darling, of the pro-Union Better Together campaign, said he was confident of a deal on new Scottish Parliament powers after a "No" vote.
The referendum will be held on 18 September, with voters asked the Yes/No question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Opinion polls suggest the campaign for the Union is ahead in the race.
Opinion polls have suggested that the "No" campaign is still ahead in the race, although the "Yes" side has narrowed the gap in recent months, with many people still to make up their minds either way. However, the official campaign for independence, Yes Scotland, claimed undecided voters were backing its case at a rate of two-to-one compared with those who shifted to a pro-Union position.
The Yes Scotland campaign for independence has said its research indicates that undecided voters have moved to "Yes" at a rate of two-to-one compared with those who have shifted to "No". Mr Salmond told BBC Scotland's Glenn Campbell he believed 100 days was plenty of time for the gap to be overturned.
'Better society' "If you average all the polls then I think we need a 6% swing," said the first minister, adding: "In the months before the last Scottish elections we got a 16% swing in this sort of timescale.
Speaking to BBC Scotland's Glenn Campbell, Mr Salmond said he believed 100 days was plenty of time for the gap to be overturned. "Yes we have got enough time - it is not the time that is the issue. It is winning the arguments, winning the discussion."
He added: "If you average all the polls then I think we need a 6% swing. In the months before the last Scottish elections we got a 16% swing in this sort of timescale. Mr Salmond said: "The key argument to winning is not just Scotland being more prosperous, but a better and a more equal society using the natural resources and human resources of the country. If we win that argument, we win the referendum."
"Yes we have got enough time - it is not the time that is the issue. It is winning the arguments, winning the discussion. The first minister went on to say politicians on the "Yes" side were "substantially more popular" than their opponents, which he suggested gave them an advantage in terms of credibility.
"The key argument to winning is not just Scotland being more prosperous, but a better and a more equal society using the natural resources and human resources of the country. If we win that argument, we win the referendum." He said: "If the 'Yes' campaign set out the case for Scotland being a more prosperous but also a more equal society, is that going to be credible with the Scottish population? I think the answer to that is 'Yes'.
Mr Salmond said politicians on the "Yes" side were all "substantially more popular" than their opponents, which he suggested gave them an advantage in terms of credibility.
The first minister said: "If the Yes campaign set out the case for Scotland being a more prosperous but also a more equal society, is that going to be credible with the Scottish population? I think the answer to that is 'Yes'.
"If the No campaign keep saying that the seven plagues of Egypt are going to descend on the country once we vote for independence, are they going to be believed? I think the answer to that is 'No'.""If the No campaign keep saying that the seven plagues of Egypt are going to descend on the country once we vote for independence, are they going to be believed? I think the answer to that is 'No'."
To coincide with the 100 day milestone, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will host the Scottish government's first ever all-women cabinet event in Edinburgh. Scotland's deputy first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, marked the 100-day milestone by hosting the Scottish government's first all-women cabinet event, in Edinburgh.
The event will offer more than 100 women from organisations across Scotland the opportunity to ask female ministers about issues such as female representation on boards, the improvement of childcare and employment law, as well as any other issues of interest about what independence would mean for Scotland. It offered more than 100 women the opportunity to ask female ministers about issues like female representation on boards and childcare improvement.
'More powers' Meanwhile, Mr Darling launched Better Together's 100 Days to Go campaign in Glasgow, saying a strengthened Scottish Parliament within the UK offered "the best of both worlds".
Meanwhile, Better Together is to launch its 100 Days to Go campaign in Glasgow. He told the BBC the main pro-Union parties had now promised "substantial expansion" to Holyrood's powers which would be contained in their manifestoes for the 2015 UK election.
The organisation said the event would feature "messages from ordinary Scots making their 100 day pledge - a commitment to do what they can over the next 100 days to make sure Scotland stays in the UK". "If people vote 'No' it will be a vote for change - it's not the status quo," said the former UK chancellor.
Better Together head Alistair Darling said it would be "very desirable" for pro-union parties to agree plans for further devolution. "All three parties have come up with proposals - and they're not that very different actually - and I hope, in the next period, they will come together, so we'll have a proposal that can be put to people
He said: "I would like to see the three (pro-union) parties come together so that we can have a proposal ready for legislation probably immediately after the next general election." "People will know that all three party leaders have said there will be a commitment to legislate after the next general election, so there's a clear choice - a choice for change within the United Kingdom or simply breaking away and leaving the UK."
Mr Darling said he was "confident" this would happen. Asked if there should be a cross-party offer on more Holyrood powers before the referendum, Mr Darling responded: "I think the first thing you've got to decide is whether we're staying in the UK, or whether we're leaving.
He also said the choice facing voters was not one between Scotland and Britain or change and the status quo, but between two competing visions of Scotland's future. "If we get a a 'No' vote, if we're staying in the UK, then I would like to see the three parties come together so we can have a proposal ready for legislation, probably immediately after the next general election, which is less than a year away now."
The former chancellor said: "Our opponents have spent months trying - and failing - to come up with evidence to support their goal of separation.
"And now with just 100 days of campaigning left the nationalists are running out of arguments - and they are running out of time."
Mr Darling pointed to promises of more powers for the Scottish Parliament as evidence that the "terms of trade" had changed in the debate.
He added: "The ground has shifted under - and against - our nationalist opponents for it is now clear that a No vote will bring more powers to Scotland within the UK.
"All three main Scottish parties backing a No vote now have broadly similar proposals in place.
"There is much that divides us on other issues. But on the constitution - the framework within which legislation is made - we are all now pretty much on the same page."