Referendum News

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  Independence 'would push up finance costs'

  MORTGAGES, pensions and insurance are likely to become more expensive for Scots consumers if the country opts to leave the UK, a Treasury report warned.

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  Westminster has been holding back Scottish economy for generations, says Sturgeon

  UK economic decisions have been holding Scotland back "for generations," Nicola Sturgeon has claimed, as the Scottish Government prepared to publish a key report on the country's industrial strengths.

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  BBC pledges £5m for indyref coverage

  The BBC has said it will spend £5m on extended coverage of the independence referendum.

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  Treasury: indyref Yes vote could put savings and pensions at risk

  Millions of pounds in pensions and savings would be put at risk in an independent Scotland, a report by the UK Government will today warn.

• Leaving EU 'may boost pro-independence vote'

  Support for independence could increase if voters think the UK is likely to withdraw from the EU, a new poll has found.

• Brilliant powerhouse or basket case? Opposing camps clash over finances of an independent Scotland

  The opposing camps in the battle over Scottish independence will next week put forward conflicting visions of Scotland's economic future.

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  'Our banks can win back their reputations ... but we can never again have a government in thrall to the financial sector'

  Much of the Treasury paper seems to be based on a flawed, outdated view of the world which takes no account of the substantial banking reforms which have been on going across Europe and around the world since 2008.

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  Demonstrators defended by Salmond in row with Ukip chief

  ALEX Salmond has launched an outspoken attack on Nigel Farage after the Ukip leader blamed "racist" and "anti-English" independence supporters for disrupting an event in Edinburgh.

• 190,000 viewers watch the first televised referendum debate

  NEARLY 200,000 viewers tuned in to watch the first live television debate of the referendum campaign, according to STV.

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  Salmond tells Nigel Farage to stay out of Scottish politics

  First Minister Alex Salmond entered the controversy surrounding Nigel Farage's chaotic visit to Scotland by telling the Ukip leader he knows "absolutely nothing about Scotland".

• Ministers under fire over EU legal advice

  MINISTERS are facing pressure to publish their legal advice on an independent Scotland's membership of the European Union.

• Independence business report move

  The UK Government is marshalling potentially dozens of Coalition ministers as it broadens its campaign against Scottish independence.

• Purdah discrepancy claim

  HOLYROOD ministers face a tougher legal sanction than their Westminster counterparts on the purdah period which bans announcements during the referendum campaign period, MSPs were told yesterday.

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  Scottish Ministers: we've now got official advice on EU membership

  The Scottish Government says it has now received legal advice about an independent Scotland's membership of the European Union.

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  Farrago as Nigel Farage is rescued by police from protesters

  Nigel Farage had to be rescued by a police riot van today after an attempt to relaunch the party in Scotland descended into chaos.

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  Ex-Canadian PM: indyref poll could tear families apart

  Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien has questioned the threshold that could allow the Scottish independence referendum to be won by a single vote, and warned the campaign could be emotionally divisive.

• Older Scots reluctant to vote Yes as they feel more British

  OLDER Scots are less likely to support independence because they have relatively strong feelings of Britishness, a new analysis has suggested.

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  Darling says No campaign needs to win well to avoid 'neverendum'

  Unionists must win a convincing victory in next year's independence referendum to settle the question for a generation, the leader of the No campaign has suggested.

• Business group launched under Yes Scotland banner

  MORE than 350 businessmen and women have launched a pro- independence campaign under the Yes Scotland banner.

• Ukip brand Better Together 'blithering idiots'

  THE Better Together campaign has been labelled "blithering idiots" by Ukip for not allowing Nigel Farage to join forces with the pro-UK campaign while the party insists its members are, nonetheless, helping the anti-independence cause at a grassroots level in Scotland.

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  Scots entrepreneurs form pro-independence group

  A Falklands veteran who became one of Scotland's most successful entrepreneurs is to play a key role in a new pro-independence group.

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  Brown attacks Tory 'Enoch Powell' immigration policy

  FORMER Prime Minister Gordon Brown has turned Labour's pro-UK campaign launch into an anti-Tory tirade by accusing David Cameron's Government of going down an Enoch Powell-style route over immigration.

• Nationalist security plans derided

  THE SNP's plan for a £2.5 billion annual security budget in an independent Scotland has been branded "back of the envelope stuff" and would put Scots at risk, a defence seminar has been told.

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  Brown joins launch of Labour campaign to preserve Union

  SCOTTISH Labour today launches its own campaign to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom, insisting its distinctive voice will be used to argue there is a better future if Britain's talents and resources are shared to unite behind common causes.

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  Sturgeon woos female voters with pledge to undo Tory welfare reforms

  Nicola Sturgeon launched a determined bid to woo female voters by pledging to undo "the worst impacts" of UK Government welfare reforms, particularly those affecting women, should Scotland vote for independence.

• 2014 vote call for prisoners

  Prisoners serving short-term sentences should be given a vote in the independence referendum, according to Liberal Democrats.

• SNP attacks Coalition paper on economic case for Union

  A forthcoming analysis paper from the Coalition has been undermined even before it has been published, the SNP has claimed, after a leaked draft showed it had planned to use the UK's coveted triple-A status as a key argument against Scottish independence.

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  Farage: Ukip will target SNP vote

  Ukip leader Nigel Farage has insisted his party is relevant to Scottish politics as he prepares to target SNP voters in a Holyrood by-election.

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  BROWN RETURNS TO FIGHT FOR THE UNION

  FORMER prime minister Gordon Brown will make a rare high-profile appearance tomorrow when he helps launch Labour's campaign for Scotland to stay in the Union.

• LibDems push for prisoners to get a vote in referendum

  CRIMINALS serving short sentences should be allowed to vote in the independence referendum, according to the Scottish Liberal Democrats.