AN independent Scotland would have two choices on currency, one of which - using the pound informally and refusing to share any of the burden of the UK national debt - would be a "pretty attractive option", an adviser to Alex Salmond has said.
The comments, made by SNP MSP Joan McAlpine at a public meeting, appear to fly in the face of the Scottish Government's official position that it has a single "Plan A" on the issue of currency - a formal union with the rest of the UK.
Ms McAlpine's remarks suggest the SNP may also be considering the Plan B of an informal currency union, known as sterlingisation.
Under an informal currency union, Scotland could use the pound but without the Bank of England as lender of last resort for Scottish banks.
Chancellor George Osborne, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have all ruled out a formal currency union, but the First Minister says this is a bluff.
He argues that if an independent Scotland was not allowed to share the pound, it could refuse to take its £100 billion per capita share of UK debt.
Ms McAlpine, the First Minister's parliamentary liaison officer, was asked about a currency "Plan B" at a Yes campaign meeting in Lockerbie, a video of which can now be viewed online.
She said: "They cannot stop us using the pound.
"If we did do that without formal currency union we wouldn't inherit any of the debt, which I think is a pretty attractive option.
"So, perhaps, watch this space. You know, if there was a possibility of us saying, 'Right that's fine, you keep all the assets and you can keep the debt as well'."
Ms McAlpine said even "unionist economists" had acknowledged the attractiveness of an independent Scotland starting with no debt.
"So I think that's probably the two choices that you're looking at," she concluded.
A Better Together spokesman said: "It beggars belief that one of Alex Salmond's closest aides would make these comments without his approval.
"It's clear the SNP are preparing to ignore the advice of their own Fiscal Commission, which specifically ruled out this reckless proposal. Walking away from our debt would add to the cost of living for hard working Scottish families, adding thousands to the cost of mortgages, credit card bills and car loans."
The Scottish Government refused to comment.
An SNP spokeswoman said: "The Fiscal Commission report indicated an independent Scotland has a range of currency options but that a currency union between Scotland and the rest of the UK is the best option not just for Scotland but also for the rest of the UK, and that is what Joan, the SNP, Scottish Government, as well as a range of economics experts, support."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article