This Article is From Sep 16, 2014

'Painful' Split Would Follow a Yes Vote, Scots Are Told

'Painful' Split Would Follow a Yes Vote, Scots Are Told

A member of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland displays both the Union Jack and Scottish flag (Agence France-Presse)

Aberdeen: With Scotland's independence referendum apparently too close to call, Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday used his final speech to Scots before Thursday's vote to warn that there would be no turning back from a "painful divorce" from Britain.

"There's no going back from this, no rerun," Cameron told supporters in the northeastern city of Aberdeen, the heart of Scotland's oil industry. "If Scotland votes yes, the U.K. will split, and we will go our separate ways forever."

He added, "Independence would not be a trial separation, it would be a painful divorce."

His message came hours after the leader of the campaign for independence, Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister, told Scots that the vote would be their last say on their constitutional future for many years.

Speaking in Edinburgh alongside business leaders, Salmond described the referendum as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Scotland." He argued that, freed from London, Scotland would be able to pursue distinct, and more social-democratic, policies - one of his central messages to Scots, who in recent decades have tilted to the left of England, throughout the campaign.

Cameron, though, blended appeals not to "break this family apart" with emphasis on the economic risks of independence, saying there would be no currency union with an independent Scotland. He pointed out that, after a "yes" vote, more than half of all mortgages in Scotland would be held by foreign banks. He also  rejected the assertion that the yes campaign was more positive in tone, arguing that it was about "dividing people."

As the vote approaches, campaigning has intensified, with politicians, sports personalities and musicians on both sides of the issue trying to sway public opinion.

David Beckham, a former captain of England's national soccer team, announced support for pro-union campaigners who were planning to demonstrate in central London.

Even Queen Elizabeth II appeared to enter the debate, albeit in an elliptical manner.

British news media outlets reported that the queen told an onlooker after attending church near her Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands on Sunday that she hoped "people will think very carefully about the future."

Shocked by opinion polls showing that the vote could go either way, the no campaign has been pushed into a drastic late change of tactics. Last week, the leaders of Britain's three main political parties set aside parliamentary duties to campaign in Scotland.

They agreed on an accelerated timetable for giving Scotland more powers to govern itself if Scots reject independence. That was a striking reversal for Cameron, who prevented such an option from being placed on the ballot for the referendum.

But while the three parties have agreed in principle to move swiftly to give more power to the Scottish Parliament, they have yet to agree on the details.

Responding to Cameron's speech, Salmond issued a statement saying that "the next time he comes to Scotland it will not be to love-bomb or engage in desperate last-minute scaremongering." It continued, "It will be to engage in serious post-referendum talks."

© 2014, The New York Times News Service
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