Are business leaders right to intervene in the Scottish independence referendum debate? September 14, 2014 Alex Singleton is associate director of The Whitehouse Consultancy and author of The PR Masterclass, says Yes. Business interventions over Scottish independence are not just tactically right, they’re morally virtuous. Until recently, many chief executives kept out of the debate, fearing their reputations would be trashed by so-called cybernats (cyber nationalists). Two things changed. First, [...]
How will Scotland vote? Independence polls say it’s too close to call with four days to go September 14, 2014 A week after the Yes campaign broke through to take the lead for the first time in Scottish independence polls, both sides of the campaign have spent the week rallying votes and courting public opinion. On the last Sunday before Scots cast their vote, where do the latest polls stand? Of three polls for today’s [...]
No campaign stretches lead to 8 points ahead of Scottish independence referendum – poll September 13, 2014 A new poll by Survation has given the No camp a seven point lead, showing 49 per cent to 42 per cent disparity. Excluding don't knows, the gap stretches to eight percentage points in favour of No: 54 per cent plays 46 per cent. Any single poll can be incredibly misleading when taken in isolation, [...]
Will Scotland vote yes? Latest independence poll suggests it’s too close to call September 12, 2014 The latest poll on Scottish independence is out, and it makes the race too close to call. The ICM poll conducted for the Guardian puts the No campaign ahead on 51 per cent, but Yes Scotland is only two percentage points behind on 49 per cent, once don't knows were excluded. The poll will provide [...]
English devolution: Clegg backs “decentralisation decade” as Scots prepare for independence vote September 12, 2014 As the debate over Scottish independence rages on and the Better Together campaign promises more powers to Holyrood, English voters have started asking whether any of this great decentralisation of power will ever be coming their way. Well, it will be if Nick Clegg has anything to say about it. Today, the deputy prime minister [...]
Scottish independence referendum: IMF warns Yes vote could hit financial markets September 12, 2014 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has weighed into the debate on Scottish independence warning there could be significant market uncertainty if Scots vote to leave the union. IMF spokesman William Murray said: The main immediate effect is likely to be uncertainty over the transition to potentially new and different monetary, financial and fiscal frameworks in [...]
Independence referendum: Lloyds, Standard Life and Clydesdale Bank say they’ll quit Scotland if it votes yes September 10, 2014 Lloyds, Standard Life and the Clydesdale Bank are planning to quit Scotland and move their headquarters to London if voters back independence in next week’s referendum, the firms said yesterday. RBS is also planning to move to the City, Treasury sources said. The contingency plans are aimed at reassuring investors they will be able to continue normal [...]
Oil, childcare and mortgages: Last hurrah for Scottish independence campaigns as leaders go head to head on Mumsnet September 10, 2014 The two faces of the Scottish independence campaigns got their final chance to go head-to-head today – on women's networking site Mumsnet. While Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling kept references to "Darling Son" and "Darling Daughter" to a minimum, they did broach topics including the impact separation would have on mortgages and childcare. There was [...]
Mumsnet: the final frontier for Scottish independence debate, as Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond go head to head today September 10, 2014 Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling are poised for their final public debate before voters decide the fate of Scotland on September 18 – this time on web forum Mumsnet. The First Minister of Scotland and the leader of the Better Together campaign will draw swords on a live stream from 1:45pm today. A [...]
Pound slides 2.5pc on Scottish independence fears September 8, 2014 While investors and the public are still digesting the latest polling on Scottish independence putting the Yes campaign in the lead for the first time, the pound took a knock in early Monday Asian trading. Britain's currency slid 2.5 per cent in the early afternoon to $1.6137, pushing past the lows of this year of [...]