THE economy, inequality, immigration and free movement within the UK were among the issues of concern to ethnic minority women in Edinburgh at a discussion about the referendum.
Twenty women attended the event yesterday at the McDonald Road Library organised by Muslim women's organisation Amina, where they heard from speakers Gail Lythgoe from Yes Scotland and Talat Yaqoob from Better Together.
A straw poll at the end of a good-tempered, wide-ranging debate was won by the Yes camp with a majority of eight to five, with several still undecided, in contrast with previous similar events held by Amina in Glasgow and Dundee where a majority have favoured the No campaign.
Concerns were expressed about how people from ethnic minorities and immigrants might be affected by the referendum result, with some voicing worries that the inclusive language being used by both Yes and No camps to court voters in the black and minority ethnic community might not continue after the referendum.
Archana Goyal from Edinburgh, who favours a Yes vote, said: "I think decision-making should be closer at hand: I wouldn't want to give control of my house to my mum or dad or uncle, they wouldn't understand. I think change is always good."
Shabana Diouri from Edinburgh, who could not stay for the straw poll, said: "I've got a negative view about independence. The main issue for me is probably the currency. The central bank is the lender of last resort which upholds the currency. I feel it's a high risk when it comes to currency because if Scotland has to set up its own central bank, it will have to do it from scratch. I feel that the economy is going to take a huge knock."
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