Brussels, 29/08/2014 (Agence Europe) - The nearer the referendum on Scottish independence draws (18 September), the louder the arguments of the two sides are becoming. On Thursday 28 August, British Prime Minister David Cameron travelled to Glasgow to sing the praises of the “British single market”. The campaign is now in top gear, with particular focus on economic questions.
It was before an assembly of Scottish business leaders that Cameron argued the Unionist cause on Thursday evening, playing the currency card, as the financial uncertainty of an independent Scotland is the main concern of the 4.2 million citizens who will be called upon to vote. “If you stay in the Union, you know for certain that you will be able to keep the strong pound, that you will have no border controls, that you will be part of the strong United Kingdom and the European single market”, said the current resident of 10 Downing Street, who appealed for “openness rather than narrowness, our main assets in these times of great uncertainty”. “Let's stay together!” he added.
The economic future is a highly sensitive issue. On the same day, over 200 Scottish business leaders, mainly of SMEs, published a letter in favour of independence in the Glasgow Herald, lamenting the fact that Scottish industry is often treated as a “cash cow rather than a strategically important part of a more prosperous and fairer society”. This letter balances out the opposite stance published the day before in The Scotsman by 130 Scottish business figures in favour of keeping Scotland in the UK, arguing that “the UK offers businesses the solid platform they need to invest in jobs and industry”. They go on to warn against “uncertainty, which is bad for business”, particularly uncertainty linked to the future of the currency.
Supporters of Scottish independence are indeed struggling to defend a tangible economic plan for a new Scottish state, talking of using the pound sterling as an interim measure before joining the euro. In the first televised debate, the leader of the Nationalists struggled on this subject, but seemed more convincing in the second round earlier this week.
A recent survey, published on Friday 29 August, shows that the yes vote has gained ground, from 42% to 47%, compared to 53% for the no vote. (MD)