Politics

Scottish independence: The countdown

As Scotland prepares to vote on its future relationship with the rest of the UK, we ask a range of experts to explore the questions left unanswered in the debate

September 05, 2014
As we enter the final days before the Scottish Independence vote on September 18th, there are still questions to be answered. © Calum Hutchinson
As we enter the final days before the Scottish Independence vote on September 18th, there are still questions to be answered. © Calum Hutchinson
Once Scotland decides the real work begins Whether the vote is Yes or No, the British state will be irrevocably altered, writes Peter Riddell.

Scottish independence: The Catalonian question The Spanish constitution makes life hard for separatist movements in the country, writes Jay Elwes.

‘I’m the only No in my village’ Communities across Scotland are being ripped apart by the independence debate. One No voter shares her experiences.

Can oil pay for Scottish independence? Can Scotland really follow Norway’s extraordinary example on North Sea oil revenues, asks Andy Davis.

Two scenarios for the morning after It's the day after the referendum vote: What do you see when you wake up?

Why isn’t ‘devo max’ on the ballot? The electorate for the referendum could have been bigger, and there could have been more options on the ballot paper, so why weren't there? Peter Riddell explains. 

Scotland is not “divided” Campaign rhetoric aside, the country has grown up, challenging its old institutional assumptions, writes Gerry Hassan.

Why women should be voting No The problems which face women are the same on both sides of the border—and women can only face them together, writes Talat Yaqoob.

Vote Yes and get the Tories An independent Scotland might be helpless to resist decisions made in Westminster about its fate, writes Peter Kellner.

Will Yes or No get the final floating voters? After the radical changes of the past eleven weeks, there is everything still to play for, writes Peter Kellner.

What happens to Scottish MPs? In the event of a Yes vote, where would Westminster politicians from north of the border go? The Institute for Government's Peter Riddell explains.

Would the NHS be better or worse off in an independent Scotland? We hear both sides from "NHS for Yes" campaigner Willie Wilson and Scottish Conservatives Health Spokesman Jackson Carlaw.

What do businesses want? Yes and No campaigners both want to woo small businesses, but it's clear information that the "wealth creators" really need, writes Colin Borland.

Why has the Yes campaign had a boost in the polls? Polling by YouGov finds that the pro-union lead is now just 6 per cent, reports Tom Gordon.

Download our free subscriber ebook on the independence referendum here

The numbers:

Poll of Polls: Should Scotland be an independent country? 



Data from WhatScotlandThinks.org