Alistair Darling, Charles Kennedy and the former Tory leader in Scotland, Annabel Goldie, are being lined up as the main faces of a broad-based pro-union campaign in the referendum on Scottish independence, sources in the three parties confirmed Wenesday night.
As Labour and the Liberal Democrats expressed the hope that David Cameron would adopt a lower profile after a faltering start, pro-union campaigners said they would place the future of the economy in an independent Scotland at the forefront of a campaign that would also include business leaders and celebrities.
Darling, who is widely respected in all parties after warning of the depth of the recession on the eve of the financial crash in 2008, will be one of the main voices in the pro-union's economy campaign, which will focus on the burden that Scotland will face in assuming its share of the UK's £1.4tn debt in 2014. Business leaders will also echo the warnings of the former chancellor in a campaign designed to be broad-based.
The prime minister made clear that the campaign would focus on issues of substance as he mocked the SNP. "I think that too many in the SNP have been happy to talk about the process but do not want to talk about the substance," he told MPs. "I sometimes feel when I listen to them that it is not a referendum they want, but a 'neverendum'. Let us have the debate, and let us keep our country together."
Cameron, who was supported by Ed Miliband yesterday, is proposing to devolve to Holyrood powers to hold a referendum – with two strings attached: a vote must be held by a specific date, probably 2013, and only a simple "in or out" option can be posed. This is designed to prevent the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, proposing the "devo max" question, in which voters would be asked if they wanted full-scale devolution, a move that would fall short of independence.
Salmond was highly critical of Downing Street. "A consultative referendum is within the provenance of the [Scottish] parliament," he told Channel Four News. "What we object to is this extraordinary attempt by Downing Street for the prime minister and chancellor to start pulling the strings of the Scottish referendum," he told Channel 4 News. "There is more control from London in a sort of Thatcheresque manner.
"We think these days are over. Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne would be well advised to recognise the new reality, where Scotland votes democratically for something to be done. What is done is fashioned and made and decided by the people of Scotland not Tories in Downing Street."
But there were the tentative outlines of a possible deal between London and Edinburgh last night. Some pro-union sources in London suggested that Salmond could be allowed to hold the referendum in 2014, but this would have to be under powers granted by Westminster. The question would also have to be a simple in or out.
Labour and the Lib Dems are warning Downing Street that the Tories must adopt a lower profile after a backlash against Cameron's announcement and the decision to allow George Osborne to brief the cabinet on the plans. The Tories have been told that the pro-union campaign must be based in Scotland. Goldie is widely seen as the strongest Tory because she out-polls her party. After the leaders' debate in last year's Holyrood election campaign Goldie came second behind Salmond in a poll on who would make the best first minister.
Charles Kennedy, whose role has not been agreed, is seen as an emollient figure who would perform well against Salmond. Sir Menzies Campbell, Kennedy's successor as Lib Dem leader, will also play a prominent role.
Darling is keen to play a part, particularly on the economy. But he does not want to dominate the pro-union campaign as he wants to avoid falling into a Salmond trap of making it presidential. The former chancellor aims to put pressure on Salmond by pointing out that Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, endorsed the Royal Bank of Scotland move to take control of ABN AMRO in 2007. This led to the near-collapse of the Edinburgh-based bank, which had to be bailed out by the UK taxpayer. Its toxic asset exposures stand at £187bn, according to Channel Four News.
Salmond on Wednesday night moved to deflect the pro-union campaign's economic arguments when he said that an independent Scotland should not be liable for the RBS debts, on grounds that its problems were caused by failures of regulation by the UK Financial Services Authority.
Salmond told Channel 4 News that an independent Scotland would demand 90% of the oil revenues from the North Sea, which were worth about £5.9bn a year. London is likely to argue, however, that oil revenues belong to the UK as a whole, giving an independent Scotland about 8% of the revenues, in line with its portion of the UK population. This would amount to about £545m, according to Channel 4 News.
Salmond said: "The geographical share of North Sea oil – that in the Scottish continental shelf – would accrue to Scotland. What is in the English continental shelf would accrue to England. With a proper share of our resources Scotland would be the sixth most prosperous country in the developed world. About 90% of the revenue bearing oil and gas fields are in Scottish waters."
Salmond added that an independent Scotland would accept liability for about 8% of the UK debt. "I am afraid we are going to have to bear our fair share of the Treasury incompetence. That would leave us with a lower debt per GDP than the UK has at the present moment."
Constitutional court
The constitutional role of the UK's supreme court means any legal challenge to a Scottish referendum on independence is to be brought directly before judges in Westminster.
Under the Scotland Act 1998, the law that established the Scottish parliament, issues raised by devolution were to be decided by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council; that responsibility passed on to the supreme court when it was established in 2009.
Such a question is to be heard by a panel of supreme court justices, composed of seven or nine of the country's senior judges. Of the court's 12 justices two are -traditionally Scottish lawyers with experience of the legal system north of the border: Lord Hope is deputy president of the supreme court and Lord Reed has yet to take up his seat. Both, it is expected, would participate in such a hearing.
A challenge to a poll on independence could be brought by Scotland's lord advocate, who works for the devolved government in Holyrood, or the advocate general for Scotland who works for the Westminster government on its "reserved interests".
Anyone with "an interest" may initiate an action in Scotland's court of session, which would transfer the case to the supreme court in Westminster for a full hearing.
Many suspect the Scottish National party has attempted to undermine the authority of the court's justices.
Owen Bowcott
Comments
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11 January 2012 9:32PM
I have no idea where this line about North Sea oil revenues being apportioned according to population share comes from. Scotland is a separate legal jurisdiction from the rest of the UK and always has been. Scotland's territorial seas and continental shelf are already defined and the international law of the sea governs boundaries. Population has nothing whatsoever to do with any of this.
11 January 2012 9:36PM
the pro-union's economy campaign, which will focus on the burden Scotland will face in assuming its share of the UK's £1.4tn debt in 2014.
Can I just point ot that while the UK has built up a massive debt. Scotland has actually been in SURPLUS for the last 5 years and is only now running at a deficit that is still much lower than that of the UK as a whole?
Why are we better of in this union?
11 January 2012 9:37PM
I can't get my head round what Cameron is doing.
Does he want the union to stay together, due to North Sea oil revenues ?
Or does he want Scottish independence, so the Tories can rule England forever ?
Is he bluffing in order to deliberately wind up the Scots and encourage independence ?
11 January 2012 9:44PM
I have a lot of respect for Kennedy.
Even a wee bit for Darling.
However if we're cornered by this Tory gov't into a yes/no referendum... I'll still opt for independence...
11 January 2012 9:45PM
Why not just get bert and ernie to do it?
11 January 2012 9:45PM
Anyone can hold a referendum in the UK, you, me, the Scottish Government, the RSPCA. Seemingly the constitutional "experts" being shoved into the headlights are blissfully unaware of this fact?
11 January 2012 9:46PM
Wise move to try to keep Cameron on the sidelines, depending he will of course, he could turn out be the nationalists greatest weapon?!
And Osborne doing the strategic planning as reported yesterday, for gawds sake, this is grown up stuff, not something for rank amateurs..
11 January 2012 9:47PM
Terrifying.
11 January 2012 9:47PM
Yes, Scotland has recognised fishing rights for the whole area practically and the International Community have laws about these sorts of things, its called UNICOL.
11 January 2012 9:48PM
O Oh oil. US and UK will claim that Scotland is developing nukes. We will all need to beware of Scottish terrorists. As for Rockall .......
11 January 2012 9:49PM
Can we also hold a referendum on just how far Alistair Darling can fuck off?
11 January 2012 9:49PM
Kennedy, Darling and Goldie - what a dream team for the independence cause.
Curly ,Larry and Mo
Groucho, Harpo and Cheeko,
Kennedy - whose party believes that Scotland should have home rule but have taken over a century to try and write this down into a policy - and whose party wanted to give 16/17 year olds the vote for the A/V referendum but now want to change their minds for the independence referendum.
Goldie - whose last comment leaving the door of Holyrood was to admit that Scotland would prosper economically and do well as an independent nation. (What's wrong with the newly elected Scottish tory leader, Action Krankie.)
Darling- Mmm, I'll just go on about the Scottish bank debt, thats all I've got too say. An argument which has been blown out of the water all over the world by various economists that cross border bank bailouts are common place. Anyway, he'll be too busy moving house again - changing his main residence four times in the same number of years to fiddle his expenses. Voted the most boring politician of all time.
If thats the best the unionists can do, then it's all over.
11 January 2012 9:50PM
Shush. Never interrupt an enemy whilst he is the process of making a mistake!!
11 January 2012 9:53PM
Incidently, England has another Oil bonanza coming up in the Falklands, so you dont really need whats left of North Sea Oil anyway.
11 January 2012 9:53PM
Not a legally binding referendum
11 January 2012 9:54PM
Scotland to only get 8% of her own oil revenues? Seriously? By that logic presumably she also gets 8% of Wales's coal, 8% of England's shale gas, 8% of the tax revenue from the City?
11 January 2012 9:54PM
heh sorry grasshopper!
11 January 2012 9:57PM
There is no such thing as a legally binding referendum, Parliament cant bind itself, all referendums in the UK are advisory. You've been reading the Guardian too much, thats usually thats a good thing, but its not on this particular partisan issue.
Further, no Democratic Government has ever ignored the results of a referendum recognized by the International Community as fair and lastly, how can anyone want to live in a country that was prepared to do so?
11 January 2012 9:58PM
No referendum within the UK is legally binding. Yet at the same time a referendum must be held in Scotland although that does not apply elsewhere.
11 January 2012 9:58PM
Hmmm next stop for Alistair Labour leadership.
11 January 2012 9:59PM
I believe the actual legal point is do the Scottish Govt have the right to spend public money on organising the referendum, rather than whether they can hold it. Whether it's binding or not is irrelevant, as no government could comfortably ignore the result.
11 January 2012 10:00PM
I see Severin Carrell's (Guardian Scotland Correspondent) latest article on Alex Salmond is not open for comments. (Alex Salmond: a canny political operator but not infallible)
This after him blabbing the other day about the election being on the anniversary of Bannockburn until it was pointed out to him that it fell on a Sunday.
He's now taken the BBC route and decided to close down comments in fear of common sense prevailing. I despair.
11 January 2012 10:03PM
As much as I like Charlie Kennedy the character, as soon as someone floats the idea of less duty on whisky in an independent Scotland, he's going to flip-flop like a Republican after lunch with a lobbyist!!
11 January 2012 10:04PM
The carve up can be thrashed out at a later date.
The issue is at present the Scots being allowed to express their opinion on their future.
This is paramount. A referendum examining all options was what we voted for last year.
Just let us get on with it.
11 January 2012 10:07PM
Scotland, please don't condemn us to a lifetime of Tory governments. There are some of us in England who understand that you get the rough end of the stick.
The people who have lorded over you for generations have done the same to us, they didn't care where we born, just the fact that we were poorer than them.
Don't abandon us in our hour of need.
11 January 2012 10:07PM
when I look at Alistair Darling I remember him as the face of all the Primary School closures across Scotland.
11 January 2012 10:08PM
Can someone tell me when English voters will be given a vote of the Union of our two Nations?
11 January 2012 10:09PM
Isn't the Falklands a British Overseas Territory? I suspect that may have more to do with the foreign office than England...
I sometimes wish that London would become independent, so that people don't associate the dribble coming out of Westminster with England.
11 January 2012 10:10PM
How does Scotland plan to defend the oil platforms without the Royal Navy and SBS?
11 January 2012 10:10PM
Drag out some professional politicians who have far more to lose than the Scots people from independance.
11 January 2012 10:10PM
@flipflash: just when I was thinking no-one could do a worse job than Ed!
11 January 2012 10:10PM
The Scottish Government have full control over their spending grant to meet manifesto commitments.
11 January 2012 10:11PM
The Scottish Government can spend public money on whatever they like; thats how this election/government thing works - the same as in Westminster.......
11 January 2012 10:11PM
Please go ahead. We're not stopping you.
But you can't force us to stay.... and if you want us to go then fine...
Go for it big man.
11 January 2012 10:14PM
Alistair v Alex, this'll be quite the show!
11 January 2012 10:14PM
Blair led Labour the three absolute majorities in Westminster that would still have been outright majorities without all the Scottish Labour MPs; if you want to end Tory Government in England its your non-voting countrymen you need the help from - not us.........
11 January 2012 10:14PM
Norway seem to manage.
11 January 2012 10:16PM
It is yes and Falklanders have a degree of fiscal autonomy and certainly have the right to benefit directly from that money, but so does the rest of the UK who currently pays for and maintains defense of the Island, no small feat I'm sure you will agree given the recent military and constant diplomatic conflict.
11 January 2012 10:16PM
Which way would you vote?
11 January 2012 10:16PM
I have Scottish antecedents but would happily see Scotland go its own way now.
No disrespect to my relatives, but I think that they have reaped economic benefits from successive UK governments anxious to preserve the 'Union' in excess of the standards of living seen in the rest of the UK (barring of course, London). North sea gas/oil has only served to exacerbate the Scots' sense of entitlement.
I am no Tory, but am in favour of Cameron calling on the Scots to have their referendum asap. Then succeed or fail, the referendum will have liberated the rest of the UK from Salmond's constant threats to the union and a more equitable disbursement of revenue between the regions.
As long as Salmond prolongs his fence-sitting in drawing more concessions from the rest of the UK, none of us can complain of 'Londoncentricity' more than 'Westlothianism'.
Get on with it Salmond and do it without further concessions - though I note from tonight's BBC news that Cameron may incline to give you more concessions should you lose a yes/no vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11 January 2012 10:18PM
The oil platforms belong to the OPEC companies; I believe they have the Royal Navy, SBS, Army, Air Force and US Armed Forces bought and paid for.
If we did nationalize the rigs, then I believe the nukes left lying around in Dunbartonshire might keep us safe - most country's that actually have them tend not to be invaded.........
11 January 2012 10:18PM
So, once the gerrymandering changes kick in you still expect that to happen?
We are stronger together. Just because some of our respective populations make silly comments there is no need to divide us.
11 January 2012 10:19PM
You're in favour of Cameron getting us to do what we were going to do only 1yr earlier...
Well done you.
11 January 2012 10:19PM
Having Cameron front the pro-union argument is an excellent way to ensure that the Scottish vote for independence.
It benefits the SNP to keep him in the spotlight because he's never far away from saying something stupid and uniting people against whatever cause he's supporting.
11 January 2012 10:21PM
Well Norway has a navy with over 30 combat vessels, a special forces group and a coast guard. Does Scotland plan to have all that?
11 January 2012 10:21PM
Have you told Alex Salmond that? Because he seems to think he needs to pass legislation through the Holyrood Parliament and wait for its royal assent.
So either:
1. Alex Salmond & the SNP must be terrifyingly thick... or
2. You are wrong about referendums.
Take your pick.
11 January 2012 10:22PM
Yeah? Well f*ck them, we have Sean Connery.
11 January 2012 10:23PM
There was no need to "unite" us in the first place.
When a marriage comes to an end, it matters not if one half is still in love and wishes to maintain the status quo; the other half is no longer in love, has had enough and is heading off into the sunset.
It may take two to tango, but it only needs one to divorce........
11 January 2012 10:24PM
Only once in modern history has a Government been formed by a party that didnt win a majority in England. Scoland only sends a balance of +11 Labour MPs, trust me, if Scotland becomes independence you wont notice the difference, politically or economically. Labour win elections when they win in England, not Scotland, the population difference is just too vast!
Economically and politically Scotland however would be much better for it. Consider that Scotland has had something like 34 years of Tory Government out of the last 62, despite the Tories not winning an election in Scotland since 1950 for example? Lastly, economically, the surpluses Scotland sometimes generate for the treasury are a pittance to a country the size of the UK, but not to a country Scotland's size.
11 January 2012 10:24PM
I have enjoyed today's comments.
Labour voter all my days, but divorce looms. [ Scottish,]
It looks as though we are going to be handcuffed to a Tory Government [ of whatever colour, Tory, Lib Dem or New Labour] for the forseeable.
I do not want to be goverened by Old Etonian millionaires.
They make me puke. Cameron's wife step father is a millionaire Aristocrat fer Lord Astor for Godssake.
Time to go, lads.
You are lovely people but we just think differently.
As the SNP guy said in the Commons, Scotland has more Giant Pandas than Tory MPs.