Scotland should lead the UK not leave it, Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont has said in a major speech.
She warned that independence would bring a new wave of austerity for families in Scotland.
Speaking in Glasgow, she called on Scots to unite around shared values which have no borders - the convictions of fairness, equality and community - and to build a Scotland for the many not the few.
Ms Lamont called on Scotland to reunite after a No vote and use the strength of the United Kingdom and the opportunity of devolution to achieve Labour's goals for the country.
She said: "We will need to heal the wounds of a divided Scotland. We will need a vision of a new Scotland which can reunite the country.
"Yes we will have a stronger Scottish Parliament with more powers but those are not an end in themselves - they are just a means to an end and that end must be social justice.
"Our priority as a nation should not be erecting a border with England, it should be tearing down the barriers which prevent our young from getting a decent education, which stop families aspiring their dreams, and threaten our elderly with poverty and insecurity.
"That should be our focus. A real vision rooted not in dogma of nationalism, but rooted in the real experience, the real hopes, the real dreams of ordinary families throughout this country."
She added: "We will not be bought and sold for Salmond's fool's gold. Instead we will use the strength of the United Kingdom to make Scotland stronger.
"Poverty is our enemy not our neighbours. And we don't need to destroy one country to change our nation."
Ms Lamont was speaking at the Kinning Park Complex today in front of an invited audience of 200.
She also set out the risk to individual families of separating from the UK and said that an "additional wave of austerity" would come after independence.
Ms Lamont said that Mr Salmond offers no hope for ordinary people, just tax cuts for the bankers and the rich.
She said: "We see from the Yes campaign a beautiful picture of a utopian Scotland where the streets will be paved with gold and milk and honey will flow through the land. All will be equal, no one will be poor and our economy will be booming.
"But the numbers don't add up and there is no credible suggestion how this would be possible. Wishing it to happen isn't enough.
"The truth is that on day one of independence, we will be worse off. And people will need to ask themselves if that will be a price worth paying."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ''Scotland is an immensely wealthy country - richer per head than countries like France, Japan and indeed the UK as a whole - and the referendum is about who is best placed to use that vast wealth to build a fairer, more prosperous Scotland.
''With independence our future is in our hands, we have an unprecedented opportunity to make better choices for the people of Scotland.
''That includes ending Westminster's austerity plans by using our new responsibilities to invest a further £3.6 billion in our economy and public services - including our health service - whilst taking a sustainable approach to reducing the deficit.
''Remaining part of the UK will see us face a potential £4 billion cut to Scotland's funding through the Barnett formula and the risk of further funding cuts as successive UK governments privatise public services in order to cut public spending.
''Through an economic policy which puts Scotland first, a transformational increase in childcare provision, and by using our resources to protect our NHS and other public services, we have the opportunity to invest in our future.''
SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn said: "The Scottish Government has already detailed plans to invest an extra £3.6 billion in our economy to end austerity and reindustrialise Scotland after a Yes vote - not for the first time, Johann Lamont's bizarre claims fly in the face of all the evidence.
"But Ms Lamont's claims today aren't just wrong - they are also the height of hypocrisy from a Labour leader who is working hand in glove with the Tories in the No campaign.
"The fact is that austerity is the reality of Westminster - and more cuts to Scotland's budget and threats to our NHS are what will follow in the event of a No vote.
"That Johann Lamont is happy to defend a system which has saw a 400% increase in foodbank use and could see 100,000 more children in Scotland pushed into poverty - while spending over £100 billion on nuclear weapons - speaks volumes about where her priorities lie.
"A Yes vote in September is our one opportunity to escape from Westminster's austerity agenda and to invest Scotland's wealth in making our country fairer and more prosperous for everyone who lives here - and we should grab it with both hands."
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