This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-28649354

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Scottish independence: Salmond and Darling go head to head in TV debate Scottish independence: Salmond and Darling clash in TV debate
(about 11 hours later)
Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling are due to go head to head in a televised referendum debate. Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling have clashed in a TV debate ahead of the Scottish independence referendum.
First Minister Mr Salmond will put the case for Scottish independence and Mr Darling, chairman of Better Together, will argue for the UK to stay together. Scotland's first minister said the nation was being run by Westminster parties it did not vote for.
The two-hour live debate on STV will be broadcast from 20:00 in front of a 350-strong audience from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Mr Darling, leader of the pro-Union Better Together campaign, said independence campaigners had failed to answer key questions.
The people of Scotland will go to the polls on 18 September. The STV debate, from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, in Glasgow, came ahead of the 18 September vote.
They will be asked the "Yes/No" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Mr Salmond told the 350-strong studio audience that very few people disputed Scotland could be a successful, independent country.
The STV debate will also be live in the south of Scotland by ITV's Border region. He said 49 of the 71 countries which took part in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games were the same size or smaller than Scotland, yet thousands of children with families were reliant on food banks, while the UK government was spending an "obscene" amount of money on nuclear weapons, based on the Clyde.
Viewers in Scotland, from the rest of the UK, and across the world will be able to watch the debate online with a globally available livestream on the STV Player. "For more than half of me life, Scotland has been governed by parties the we didn't elect at Westminster - and these parties have given us everything from the poll tax to the bedroom tax, and they are the same people who, through 'Project Fear' are telling us that this country can't run our own affairs," said Mr Salmond.
On Tuesday night, the normal requirement to register with a Scottish post code, will be lifted. "My case this evening is simple - no one, absolutely no one will do a better job of running Scotland than the people who live and work in Scotland.
Both groups agreed to details of the debate after weeks of wrangling. "On 18 September, we have the opportunity of a lifetime - we should seize it with both hands."
Mr Salmond has also called for a head to head with Prime Minister David Cameron, but Downing Street declined saying Mr Darling was leading the campaign. Mr Darling said the referendum was about Scotland's future, not patriotism.
The Yes Scotland team said it was "looking forward" to the televised debate. "There are times that, for the love of our family and the love of our country, it's sometimes best to say 'No' - not because we can't, but simply because it is not the best thing to do," he said.
Campaign chief executive Blair Jenkins said: "Viewers will get the chance to hear why decisions made on Scotland's future should be taken here in Scotland. "In six weeks' time, we will make the biggest decision that we've ever made here in Scotland - and remember this, if we decide to leave, there is no going back - there's no second chance."
"Our experience is that most undecided voters choose Yes when they hear both sides of the debate, and therefore we believe the mass TV audience will benefit our positive campaign. Hitting out at Mr Salmond, the former UK chancellor said: "We cannot make this decision on the basis of guesswork, fingers crossed or his blind faith."
'We also believe that the No campaign have a problem with both the negativity of their message, and the unpopularity of their messengers." "Let's say with confidence, let's say with pride, let's say with optimism, 'no thanks' to the risks of independence and lets say 'let's have the best of both worlds, not just for us but for generations to come."
Better Together campaign director Blair McDougall called on Alex Salmond to provide "straight answers" on the pound, pensions and public services.
He said: "The referendum debate isn't confined to TV studios. It is taking place in conversations between friends and family across Scotland.
"The biggest debate is taking place on the doorsteps, around kitchen tables and in workplaces across the country.
"And the more people talk about what leaving the UK would mean for our schools and hospitals, the more they are saying no thanks to separation."