Scottish Referendum debate: Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond, Wednesday September 10th, 1.45-2.45pm

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi all,

We're delighted to announce that Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling will both be joining us on Mumsnet this Wednesday at 1.45pm, to take part in a live debate in the lead-up to the Scottish Referendum on September 18th.

The decision with which Scottish voters are faced this month constitutes a significant moment in the history - and future - of Scotland and the UK. And with polls currently predicting a result that's too close to call, this final showdown between the two leaders could potentially prove decisive.

The debate will be conducted along typical Mumsnet webchat lines, but with each guest free to question and respond to the answers of the other. We know the referendum has been a topic of serious discussion on the site (we're currently on IndyRef thread number seven - and counting ...) so in order to ensure that the leaders answer your questions, we're restricting the ability to post to Mumsnetters who'd been members of the site for more than 24 hours before the launch of this thread. Otherwise, the usual guidelines apply.

Please join us on Wednesday at 1.45pm - and if you can't make it then, as ever, do post up any comments or questions in advance.

Thank you to both participants for coming along in what must be a pretty tiring week for them.

Well, they're both good writers.

A grade for persuasive writing in National 5 English to both from me (disclaimer - am not an English teacher)

No I haven't changed my mind either. My question of whether it is justifiable in the case of UK for Scotland to claim independence is rarely ever acknowledged.

Oh, not his last post. His penultimate one.

His last one is just scary. Elect a government of our choice. In a democracy loads of people don't get what they choose.

Really cut and pasted 2nd to last paragraph as well. Some researcher has been up all night!

When AS keeps saying 'One Trillion Pounds' does it remind anyone else of this?

I am an English teacher and have just marked dozens of scripts with "Answer the question" which is why I found this so frustrating.

OneNight - I know and it must be so tiresome having to trot out the same stuff over and over while tv presenters and the like talk over you.

femin you do realise that quite a lot of people in Scotland vote Tory? Not a majority, and the combination of constituency boundaries and FPTP means they don't get the seats, but there is support out there. I think the best hope for a non-Tory government is to stay in the UK. I'm expecting a slightly edgy time at the next general election, possibly a minority Labour government and a fair few policy deals, but if we get Scottish independence I wouldn't be surprised if the Tory vote rises considerably in the medium term. And if there's a Tory government in rUK, how is that going to work out with them being such close neighbours/trading partners/us hoping to use the same currency?

AS: "I care, as I'm sure you do, about poverty and inequality all over this planet and do whatever I can in any way I can to mitigate its effects and help."

Good god. The policies the SNP is most proud of - universal free prescriptions, freezing the council tax, free university tuition come what may - are policies that disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Unbelievable.

OOAOML not entitled to use our own currency It has been pointed out many times that we could indeed use the pound - but not in a currency union and therefore with very grave consequences. With respect, just because you think something should happen, doesn't mean it will.

Exactly. I tried to make that point above. I am properly shocked at the lack of clarity to this utterly fundamental point. I would be very scared to be a No voter in Scotland right now. I was actually saying 'grrrr' and shaking my head to some of Mr Salmond's politically correct replies.

femin Erm, how? We'd be doing what they wanted? I think that they are more likely to be punish us for not going to Eton and being 84th in line to the throne..

Anyhoo....

Thanks to both (still not convinced me I'm afraid Alex, but if you fancy answering any more of my questions please do feel free!)

f course Scotland can make a difference. We don't just have to stand in solidarity and watch, we can campaign, work together, mobilise as has happened in Scotland over independence, and MPs can take their seats in Westminster and make better policy.*

Remember how the Labour government took so much notice of the millions marching against an Iraq war. That was a massive campaign, coordinated across the whole of the UK with HUGE public engagement - it was completely ignored.

As for MPs in Westminster, as don't have enough to push anything through without support from rUK MPs. And if WM had the slightest interest in tackling inequality etc they would have already taken steps towards solving it, rather than actively making it worse.

I do admire your optimism though.

I am not partisan like may on this thread, until a few days ago I was totally undecided. But I do think on this webchat it was Alistair Darling who either did not answer questions, or who twisted the truth in his answers.

We needed more from the Better Together Campaign than just scare stories that never seem to pan out. I think if the vote had been 3 months ago I would have voted no, I was to uncertain about what a yes vote would mean. But the Better Together Campaign has just treated voters as idiots.

It comes down to ideological nationalism which is ok and understandable but hardly a great leap forward to the future they are selling it as.

Rose - my sympathies.

Poppadom I am most definitely not a fan of AS, but to be fair he is a politician and rhetoric is what they do.

But he was more evasive than AD.

Cue the yes voters saying the opposite - I suspect everyone remained confirmed in their own views and most of the undecided found it not very helpful.

Good god. The policies the SNP is most proud of - universal free prescriptions, freezing the council tax, free university tuition come what may - are policies that disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Unbelievable

Can you explain that?

If I see the word "scaremongering" used on more time in response to people's honest and very real worries I will throw a hissy fit my children would be proud of.
Sorry not really a contribution to the debate but I'm so utterly sick of it.

wwbuffydo - I don't know, by enacting harsh policies against Scotland. Thatcher certainly treated Scotland more harshly than England in the past. Anyway you can dismiss it, but it is one of my fears.

ItsAll Holyrood voted in favour of the Iraq war as well.

Free university tuition really only benefits the middle class children who have the grades to get to university in the first place.

Cue the yes voters saying the opposite - I suspect everyone remained confirmed in their own views and most of the undecided found it not very helpful.

I completely agree. Wheeling out politicians to spout the same thing over and over just doesn't cut it with anyone. I was reading somewhere that basically, unlikely previously, the politicians have completely lost control of this. IG is entirely down to the people and the politicians are now a bit of an irrelevance in the campaign.

Who said anything about being optimistic about any WM government? Doesn't mean you should give up.

Free University tuition help all the middle class students who make it through the unequal school system to university.

Then the SNP have cut college places for vocational training - which can't help an economy, can it?

"A very good question. Thank you. All of us should be equally concerned about child poverty no matter where that child lives in the UK. Surely our humanity and sense of justice means that we should strive to eradicate child poverty throughout the whole of the UK? Our concerns shouldn't stop at the border.

Solidarity and working with our neighbours is fundamental to my political beliefs."

I am concerned about child poverty in any part of the UK, but Scotland could have voted for the pandas in Edinburgh zoo and we'd have made as much impact on who is in power.

It's hugely frustrating when Better Together don't even acknowledge that it's an issue.

Im not sure it was fair to keep replying to certain posters several times... there were other people wanting questions answered. That wasted a lot of time, never got my question answered