:00:00. > :00:00.is a culture adults know very little about. -- violence in sex. That will
:00:00. > :00:11.have to change of young victims of abuse are going to get the help they
:00:12. > :00:13.really need. Tonight on Newsnight Scotland:
:00:14. > :00:16.We're back to the Scottish Government's white paper. I've been
:00:17. > :00:20.speaking at length to the First Minister.
:00:21. > :00:23.Good evening. That's it, then. There's some big ticket items at
:00:24. > :00:27.stake in this campaign, from NATO to the EU, from Trident to North Sea
:00:28. > :00:30.oil. But today's white paper also saw a clear concentration from the
:00:31. > :00:34.Scottish Government on a couple of the social issues which might appeal
:00:35. > :00:35.to wavering voters on the doorstep. Suzanne Allan has been examining
:00:36. > :00:48.what the white paper has to offer. It was the day that was supposed to
:00:49. > :00:52.give answers to all of the questions. It was the day that the
:00:53. > :00:59.Government needed to win over the doubters. For an independent
:01:00. > :01:04.Scotland could have the eighth highest economic output on the 10th
:01:05. > :01:08.highest output per head of population in the whole of the
:01:09. > :01:12.developed world. Government say it is the most comprehensive guide to a
:01:13. > :01:16.new state ever produced. What is special about the document is that
:01:17. > :01:21.it combines vision with lots of detail and the practicalities of
:01:22. > :01:24.independence. It demonstrates the benefits to Scotland, the social,
:01:25. > :01:31.economic and democratic benefits of independence. So did it?
:01:32. > :01:36.Commentators pointed out there was not a novel lot of new stuff in the
:01:37. > :01:41.much heralded white paper. It has to be said that for the most part, what
:01:42. > :01:50.we have heard this morning, both from Mister Salmond and Nicola
:01:51. > :01:55.Sturgeon and Alistair Darling, it has been pretty substantial
:01:56. > :02:01.recycling of old arguments. Water is is a for that hard to reach group,
:02:02. > :02:05.woman. In the UK, we face of the highest childcare costs in Europe.
:02:06. > :02:10.Parents of Scotland spend 27% of their income on childcare. Today's
:02:11. > :02:13.announcement would mean that by the end of the first Scottish
:02:14. > :02:18.Parliament, every three-year-old, four-year-old, and vulnerable
:02:19. > :02:21.to-year-old with the equivalent to 30 hours of childcare week. At the
:02:22. > :02:25.moment, the average is around 12 and a half hours. Others be enough to
:02:26. > :02:31.lure working mums back to the workplace and into the polling
:02:32. > :02:33.booth? What is in fish and would be very expensive and it is also
:02:34. > :02:39.predicated, it seems to be predicated, on maximising the woman
:02:40. > :02:43.in a labour market. That depends on women's willingness to engage in the
:02:44. > :02:47.Labour market and the availability of jobs as well. Yes, I am sure it
:02:48. > :02:52.is feasible. It happens elsewhere. That it is ambitious. I think
:02:53. > :02:55.actually that is what the white paper needed, little bit of
:02:56. > :02:59.ambition. From the very young to the older generation. Scots do not live
:03:00. > :03:04.as long to enjoy their pensions. The Government say they intend to set up
:03:05. > :03:08.an independent commission to consider the appropriate state
:03:09. > :03:14.pension age. Currently, Westminster has fans to eventually move to 67.
:03:15. > :03:20.The 6th of April 2016, new pensioners will receive a special
:03:21. > :03:24.Scottish pension, ?1 ten per week higher than the rate currently
:03:25. > :03:28.expected for the UK. -- ?1.10 per week. Nicola McEwan says that
:03:29. > :03:33.although we did not have the blueprint, as part of the white
:03:34. > :03:38.paper is tantamount to the redesign of a whole new stars to duty system.
:03:39. > :03:43.There is a lot of continuity. What is different is the decision to put
:03:44. > :03:49.a halt on the roll-out of Universal Credit. -- a whole new security
:03:50. > :03:53.system. This is the system that is being reformed by the UK Government
:03:54. > :03:56.in its welfare reform agenda. It has been very controversial so far.
:03:57. > :04:01.Scottish Government has only really said that it would abolish the
:04:02. > :04:04.bedroom tax and not have the bedroom tax in independence. The document
:04:05. > :04:09.today says that it would stop the roll-out of Universal Credit. That
:04:10. > :04:13.implies a totally new social protection system. But no sooner had
:04:14. > :04:16.the ink dried on the white paper than the other parties were lining
:04:17. > :04:21.up to accuse the Government of empty promises. Does she not realise how
:04:22. > :04:25.absurd the Government looks when the white paper says the Bank of England
:04:26. > :04:30.will be a lender of last resort? Is she not understand that even if
:04:31. > :04:33.there was a currency union, there would be no fiscal independence,
:04:34. > :04:37.contrary to what you said on the radio this morning? Is she not
:04:38. > :04:42.leading project wish against budget reality, as will come cruising the
:04:43. > :04:45.clear over the months ahead. If the Deputy First Minister wants to prove
:04:46. > :04:49.that this pledge is not retail politics, not jotted down on the
:04:50. > :04:55.back of a cigarette packet, can't you tell of how much this policy
:04:56. > :04:59.would cost was to mark how much per year 1140 hours of charge from all
:05:00. > :05:04.children from age one to school will cost and why is the cost and not in
:05:05. > :05:09.the document? If we were able as an example to bring our levels of
:05:10. > :05:12.female participation in the workforce to the level of Sweden,
:05:13. > :05:17.incompatible independent country, we would have increased tax revenues in
:05:18. > :05:21.the region of ?700 million every year. That is the kind of revenue
:05:22. > :05:25.that then funds that policy. That is the reason you need independence to
:05:26. > :05:30.do this. The whole of the white paper, not
:05:31. > :05:36.surprisingly, left the Better Together campaign distinctly
:05:37. > :05:40.unimpressed. Never have we seen so many words used to say so little. It
:05:41. > :05:45.is a major disappointment for me, as somebody who wants to see the
:05:46. > :05:49.quality of this debate improve, that the biggest use, that those who want
:05:50. > :05:57.to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom have got to answer, remain
:05:58. > :06:00.unanswered. -- the big issues. Up until today, the polls remain
:06:01. > :06:04.stubbornly against the Government. They hope these doorstep, punter
:06:05. > :06:20.friendly policies will be the ones to turn it around.
:06:21. > :06:24.Earlier today, I met the First Minister at the Parliament. I put it
:06:25. > :06:27.to him, in the light of the controversy over his plans for a
:06:28. > :06:30.currency union, that such a union has to be permanent. All currency
:06:31. > :06:33.positions are advocated in a degree of permanency. You do not foresee
:06:34. > :06:37.any other position when you make your policy. If you see there is a
:06:38. > :06:42.hen that Scotland might later pull out of it, that is an invitation to
:06:43. > :06:46.the markets, is it not? At various times, government and Prime Minister
:06:47. > :06:52.is his advocated Stirling joining the euro. That was Tony Blair's
:06:53. > :06:58.policy. Things change over time but you do not have to watch your first
:06:59. > :07:02.preference. But like you would have to convince the markets that this
:07:03. > :07:06.was permanent. You cannot speculate against a currency union. That is
:07:07. > :07:10.not what happens. Currencies speculate against each other, not
:07:11. > :07:14.within them. If there was any hint that Scotland might pull out of it,
:07:15. > :07:17.that is an open invitation to the markets to put a premium of
:07:18. > :07:21.Scotland's debt and bond issues and start playing it off against this,
:07:22. > :07:26.exactly as we have seen in the Eurozone. Yes but the big difference
:07:27. > :07:29.between Scotland, England and the Eurozone is that this is an optimal
:07:30. > :07:34.currency zone whereas in the Eurozone there is vast differences.
:07:35. > :07:40.Only if you commit to a permanent currency. No, the reason that
:07:41. > :07:42.certain countries are in trouble is that productivity is so much lower
:07:43. > :07:45.than in Germany and therefore they have to borrow more and they borrow
:07:46. > :07:50.at a premium. It is not because people do not believe the Eurozone
:07:51. > :07:53.is permanent. It is because they are weak economies with a big difference
:07:54. > :07:58.between them and Germany. We do not have that differential. It is why
:07:59. > :08:02.this is an optimal currency area. Presumably, your message to the
:08:03. > :08:08.likes of the chairman of the 's campaign, who would rather not be
:08:09. > :08:11.part of a currency union, is that if we enter into this, we have to stick
:08:12. > :08:19.to it. -- chairman of the yes campaign. That was your point. I
:08:20. > :08:22.have pointed out that within the UK politics, we have a primary stars
:08:23. > :08:27.like Tony Blair and all logical parties -- whole political parties
:08:28. > :08:33.that advocated membership of the euro. People are entitled to put
:08:34. > :08:36.forward policies that the Jews. It is possible should another party
:08:37. > :08:41.when the Scottish election within a year to that we would not have a
:08:42. > :08:44.currency union. I certainly hope that another party does not win it
:08:45. > :08:49.but nonetheless people can choose their parties and policies. For
:08:50. > :08:53.Scotland, or for the rest of United Kingdom, people in a democracy or
:08:54. > :08:57.free to choose. I presume that Plan B, although it is not spilled out
:08:58. > :09:01.but it is inconceivable that you do not have one, it would be
:09:02. > :09:06.irresponsible, is just to use Stirling anyway? No, we are putting
:09:07. > :09:09.forward what we believe would be part of the negotiations. We are
:09:10. > :09:12.putting it forward not just because it is in the best interests of
:09:13. > :09:16.Scotland but the best interests of the rest of the UK. Or example, we
:09:17. > :09:22.accept in the document that Scotland will have to finance a share of UK
:09:23. > :09:25.debt. We accept that and in the document gives parameters as to what
:09:26. > :09:30.that share may be. I think it is paid 75. That on the basis that we
:09:31. > :09:34.know that the UK are not going to get themselves into a position of
:09:35. > :09:38.trying to claim of the assets of the country, like Stirling, and then
:09:39. > :09:45.allowed Scotland to escape the liabilities which Alistair Darling
:09:46. > :09:48.and George Osborne have held up. That is why we make the suction that
:09:49. > :09:52.we will have to take on responsibility for financing a share
:09:53. > :09:56.of the UK national debt. There have been suggestions from the SNP, some
:09:57. > :10:02.people in the SNP leadership, that if George Osborne is in fact telling
:10:03. > :10:06.us what he really believes, and did not accept a currency union, you
:10:07. > :10:11.might not accept a share of UK debt. That is not serious, is it? I think
:10:12. > :10:15.that was allocated to me. The point I made, and it is the one that I
:10:16. > :10:20.have made to you now, the reason I know that they will accept, one of
:10:21. > :10:24.these three reasons that they will accept the pound area, is because
:10:25. > :10:27.they will not allow themselves to claim the assets because then they
:10:28. > :10:32.would not be able to palm off the liabilities. Because no responsible
:10:33. > :10:38.UK Government would adopt that position because they will want
:10:39. > :10:44.Scotland to adopt financing a share of national debt, that is why we
:10:45. > :10:50.shall arise at a position of a share equitably of assets. If I was in the
:10:51. > :10:55.British Government, I would say that deserves a prize for complicated
:10:56. > :11:01.philosophy. It is not... That he will not be bound for any of that.
:11:02. > :11:04.It is not compensated. If the UK Government ever got itself into a
:11:05. > :11:08.position of saying, as someone said recently, a continuing state so we
:11:09. > :11:12.are in the position where we will keep all of the assets of this
:11:13. > :11:15.discussion then they would also be stuck with the liabilities and these
:11:16. > :11:20.are considerable. They have piled up huge amounts of National Grid. They
:11:21. > :11:22.would be making everybody in Scotland ?20,000 richer overnight.
:11:23. > :11:28.The UK Government will not allow itself to be in that position so it
:11:29. > :11:31.is one of three overwhelming reasons why it is in the interests of
:11:32. > :11:34.Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom to agree in the Stirling
:11:35. > :11:39.area. One of the things you keep saying is that the risk to Scotland
:11:40. > :11:42.being in the European Union is because of David Cameron's proposed
:11:43. > :11:47.referendum. The Scotland becomes independent and UK leaves the
:11:48. > :11:51.European Union, what happens to your currency union? Speaker at the
:11:52. > :11:54.position is unaltered. We will be in a different currency from the euro,
:11:55. > :11:59.as many members of the European Union are at the present time. So
:12:00. > :12:03.you think of the EU would have no problem with Scotland being in a
:12:04. > :12:07.currency agreement with a country that is not in the EU? The matter of
:12:08. > :12:14.concern for European unionists would be whether we have European union
:12:15. > :12:18.members who are not in your area. This has been totally discredited
:12:19. > :12:21.because the euro membership is voluntary, in the sensitive a
:12:22. > :12:25.voluntary decision to enter into the European monetary system or not and
:12:26. > :12:27.you have to be in it for two years. That is why countries like lead and
:12:28. > :12:40.are not in the euro. If you're not in the euro, that is the only matter
:12:41. > :12:44.of concern. -- like Sweden. For it to impact on the UK economy. If you
:12:45. > :12:48.are not in the euro you are using another currency. The other currency
:12:49. > :12:52.you use is not matter of concern. The argument is, can Scotland be
:12:53. > :12:56.forced to adopt the euro, the answer to that is no. There is clear
:12:57. > :13:00.agreement on that, which there wasn't earlier in the year. There
:13:01. > :13:08.are reports coming out of Brussels this afternoon that Europe editor
:13:09. > :13:11.Gavin Hewitt has spoke to officials, it's unnamed officials, what they
:13:12. > :13:14.seem to be saying is that when it comes to Scotland's membership of
:13:15. > :13:19.the European Union, they would not even begin to negotiate on that
:13:20. > :13:23.until negotiations between an independent Scotland and the United
:13:24. > :13:30.Kingdom on the financial arrangements were finished? The
:13:31. > :13:35.negotiations with the United Kingdom and with Europe would start as soon
:13:36. > :13:41.as Scots vote for independence. Can I give you a clear contradiction as
:13:42. > :13:44.to why that cannot be the case. The European Commission invited
:13:45. > :13:48.discussions on the Scottish membership and their opinion on it.
:13:49. > :13:52.The only thing stopping it happening, before the vote, is the
:13:53. > :13:57.you Kingdom government seem not determined to accept the European
:13:58. > :14:09.Commission offer, despite the fact that Scotland said they are happy to
:14:10. > :14:14.discussion the negotiations. It's not the just currency where you
:14:15. > :14:22.assume that the rest of the UK would do what Scotland want. On re nu gy
:14:23. > :14:26.you say it's reasonable that electricity consumers in England,
:14:27. > :14:30.Wales and Northern Ireland would continue to subsidise Scottish
:14:31. > :14:34.renewables. This already is signalled up as being one of the
:14:35. > :14:39.biggest issues in the next general election, why can you assume with
:14:40. > :14:44.that when people are fed up paying their electricity bills. Why should
:14:45. > :14:50.people in theest of the UK want to subsidise through their electricity
:14:51. > :14:58.bills a Scottish re nu yabl nergy agency when Scotland walks off with
:14:59. > :15:01.the oil money? There was an accord for a common energy market, not just
:15:02. > :15:06.in Britain, across the islands. That was done in 2011. Secondly, I
:15:07. > :15:11.suppose for the practical reason that without Scottish renewable
:15:12. > :15:16.electricity right now, the lights in England would go off right now. I
:15:17. > :15:21.don't think anyone wants to reasonably advocate that policy. Of
:15:22. > :15:27.saying, look, if we are going to pay this through our electricity bills
:15:28. > :15:31.let's develop a re nu ble energy in Wales, Northern Ireland or England
:15:32. > :15:36.or nuclear power stations which which is our only plan and supply
:15:37. > :15:41.clean energy that way, why should we subsidise an independent Scotland?
:15:42. > :15:46.Because the English government, English local authorities had
:15:47. > :15:49.trouble developing re nu ble energy. That is why they are short at the
:15:50. > :15:54.moment. A nuclear strategy, it's clear from the deal just signed that
:15:55. > :15:59.is a far more expensive than the renewables policy. Secondly, won't
:16:00. > :16:03.be available for another 1 o 0 years. Have done it? They have done
:16:04. > :16:09.the first station, for another 10 years. The shortage of supply for
:16:10. > :16:14.England in electricity is less than two years hence, according to Ofgem.
:16:15. > :16:17.If Scottish renewables weren't available would be right now. That
:16:18. > :16:26.is why we put forward in the document why it suits the interests
:16:27. > :16:33.of Scotland and England. It's - The possibility is the tenor of it is,
:16:34. > :16:39.pull the other one, it's got bells on? In the circumstances where it's
:16:40. > :16:42.undoubtedly correct England is short of electricity. There is no doubt
:16:43. > :16:45.about that, they are extremely worried about the shortage of supply
:16:46. > :16:49.over demand in two winters' time. They are sounding alarm bells of the
:16:50. > :16:56.time. No-one is seriously going to suggest that we turn off some seven
:16:57. > :17:00.or eight gigawatts of Scottish electricity that flows from Scotland
:17:01. > :17:03.to England at the moment - I'm not saying they would throw a switch. It
:17:04. > :17:09.would be credible to have an energy policy which in the medium term took
:17:10. > :17:13.them away from the lines of Scottish energy. There would be political
:17:14. > :17:17.pressure in England to do that? The medium term position is that
:17:18. > :17:21.Scottish renewables are cheaper than in England because the wind blows
:17:22. > :17:29.more in Scotland. That is why we have been able to develop renewable
:17:30. > :17:34.energy more cheaper. Our exports are cheaper and competitive that is why
:17:35. > :17:38.that supply is likely to continue. What do you say to people that they
:17:39. > :17:45.care that Britain is major country in the world, member of the
:17:46. > :17:51.permanent Security Council in the United Nations and has impact on
:17:52. > :18:02.world events. The debate in Syria which helped to stop the Syria
:18:03. > :18:06.bombing Damascus. They convinced a sceptical Obama administration to
:18:07. > :18:11.take action in Syria. Britain punches its way. If Norway, Denmark,
:18:12. > :18:15.Sweden or Ireland it been at the forefront of these things, people
:18:16. > :18:18.might have listened it wouldn't have made a decisive difference. Why
:18:19. > :18:22.would we want to give up having that rule in the world? There are two
:18:23. > :18:26.arguments. I wouldn't under rate the influence that small countries can
:18:27. > :18:30.have. Nothing like that? I think the application of soft power and
:18:31. > :18:34.leadership by example can be very important. For example, our clement
:18:35. > :18:40.justice - Nothing like the examples I gave you? You gave me experience,
:18:41. > :18:43.there is intervention in Iraq would be an argument where, yes, of course
:18:44. > :18:47.you can say that was influential, but most people in Scotland would
:18:48. > :18:50.think it was influential in the wrong direction. If it was
:18:51. > :18:53.influential in the wrong direction, it was - I'm not saying the
:18:54. > :18:57.Americans wouldn't have invaded the Iraq if Britain had said no, having
:18:58. > :19:02.Britain on side was very important. There are ties between Ireland and
:19:03. > :19:06.the United States, how many people inside the beltway, as they call it
:19:07. > :19:11.in Washington, would know, never mind care, what Ireland's position
:19:12. > :19:15.on Iraq was? Well, I think Ireland would prefer to have its position on
:19:16. > :19:19.Iraq as opposed to the UK's position on Iraq. Most people in Scotland
:19:20. > :19:23.would have rather - That is not addressing the point I make about
:19:24. > :19:26.influence, I take it you disagree with the war in Iraq, I understand
:19:27. > :19:30.that, fair enough. We have the power to have an influence? I see. We
:19:31. > :19:36.should celebrate or welcome the fact to have the power to have influence
:19:37. > :19:41.in participating in an illegal war. You know that is not what I'm
:19:42. > :19:44.saying. You lent yourself to the example. Most people in Scotland
:19:45. > :19:48.would say, look, if Scotland, which can have and has had substanceal
:19:49. > :19:52.influence in the world through leadership of example, for the many
:19:53. > :19:55.friends we have internationally, then that would be a really good
:19:56. > :19:59.thing to have as opposed to pretending to be a world power which
:20:00. > :20:04.often is what Westminster governments do. Let me end by
:20:05. > :20:08.talking about youngsters. You were keen to have 16 and 17-year-olds
:20:09. > :20:14.voting in this referendum. There was a schools poll done in SNP
:20:15. > :20:18.heartland, Aberdeen shire recently, among school students in secondary
:20:19. > :20:22.schools. A huge thing. Not like an opinion poll, this was 11,000
:20:23. > :20:29.students, if I'm right, took part. 5% of them voted no to independence.
:20:30. > :20:32.Now, it may be they are great fans of Alistair Darling and Alastair
:20:33. > :20:36.Carmichael, I kind of doubt it, it may be that they are British
:20:37. > :20:41.nationalist, as sometimes supporters of independence say, if you are not
:20:42. > :20:44.Scottish nationalist, you are a British nationalists I doubt they
:20:45. > :20:48.will see themselves as that as well. It's more in the early years of the
:20:49. > :20:52.21st century with all the things we are interested in, what is going on
:20:53. > :20:56.in Syria, technology, the rise of China, surely sitting around talking
:20:57. > :21:01.about whether Scotland should be independent is just irrelevant? It
:21:02. > :21:06.might be that people are waiting to hear the arguments and they might be
:21:07. > :21:09.looking to see how it will make a difference to people's lives. Why I
:21:10. > :21:13.believe we will win this campaign is the things we are talking about,
:21:14. > :21:16.like getting rid of the bedroom tax, transformation in childcare, new
:21:17. > :21:20.jobs and new investment in Scotland will be of greater interest to young
:21:21. > :21:23.people in Aberdeen shire and elsewhere than the sort of things
:21:24. > :21:28.that the no campaign is banging on about. I don't think they are the
:21:29. > :21:31.least concerned about the negativity of the no campaign. They want to
:21:32. > :21:37.hear from the yes campaign how our proposals - That is why they said we
:21:38. > :21:42.will vote no. That is why we launched the white paper. That is
:21:43. > :21:46.why - What would you say to downsisters who say - we are
:21:47. > :21:50.concerned what will happen in the 21st century we are having a debate
:21:51. > :21:56.in the late 19th century? The young people of Scotland, and others, are
:21:57. > :22:00.interested in positive inititives that change their lives and change
:22:01. > :22:05.things for the better in Scotland. We aren on the ground and it enables
:22:06. > :22:09.us to put that forward. People young and old will rally behind that
:22:10. > :22:15.perspectous. With enormous respect, these things, issues like bedroom
:22:16. > :22:18.tax, issues like childcare, and more jobs for Scotland will win this
:22:19. > :22:23.campaign. How do I know they will win the campaign? These things
:22:24. > :22:28.electrify the attention, not just of young people in Scotland, but the
:22:29. > :22:34.electorate. As we campaign about this, it will allow the no campaign
:22:35. > :22:41.to campaign about what ever nusiance they can find. Much sign of people
:22:42. > :22:44.being electrified? We launched the white paper today. The referendum is
:22:45. > :22:51.next September. Let the campaign play out. You can ask me about the
:22:52. > :22:55.result the Kay day afterwards. I'm joined now by our in-house experts
:22:56. > :22:58.par excellence, Douglas Fraser and Brian Taylor. It's terribly
:22:59. > :23:02.reasonable. There are a few threats hidden under this, this idea that
:23:03. > :23:06.somehow or other if Alex Salmond doesn't get his currency union,
:23:07. > :23:13.Scotland wouldn't accept a share of the national debt? Yes. It is is
:23:14. > :23:18.something he will emphasise in some interviews and less so in others.
:23:19. > :23:23.Nicola Sturgeon is much more reluctant to say it than others. The
:23:24. > :23:27.notion is that the pound, sterling, currency system is an asset which
:23:28. > :23:31.can be split up. If they don't get what they want, the assets they
:23:32. > :23:34.think they deserve, then the liabilities around debt are
:23:35. > :23:38.obviously the other side of that led goer. One of the problems, there is
:23:39. > :23:44.a logic to that, clearly, one of the problems with that is that sterling,
:23:45. > :23:48.a currency system is not an asset. You can't split it up. It's not
:23:49. > :23:53.something where you get an 8. 4 population share. , a country which
:23:54. > :23:58.became independent while refusing to accept a share of the country it was
:23:59. > :24:03.breaking away froms debt that organisations like the World Bank
:24:04. > :24:07.and the IMF would presumably take an interest in this? A close interest
:24:08. > :24:11.and the bond markets. As soon Ascot land becomes independent, if that is
:24:12. > :24:15.what is voted for, there are bonds need to be issued in order to pay
:24:16. > :24:19.for the deficit, which we would be running at least initially and
:24:20. > :24:23.probably for many years, the bond market is where we would have to go
:24:24. > :24:27.repeatedly. You would have to sustain a reputation for being
:24:28. > :24:32.willing to pay back what you owe. If the first thing you do before you
:24:33. > :24:37.get independence is to repudiate debt because you are having a
:24:38. > :24:44.political spat with your neighbour, the bond market may take a certain
:24:45. > :24:52.look at it. You need to be careful what signals you send to them. The
:24:53. > :24:57.first question this morning, last word on Newsnight, what did you make
:24:58. > :25:03.of it I'm struck by the second front. We have been used to the idea
:25:04. > :25:05.of offering reassurance on the currency, monarchy and the European
:25:06. > :25:10.Union. We have been used to the counter arguments on that, which is
:25:11. > :25:14.that those reassurances cannot be given as guarantees by the Scottish
:25:15. > :25:19.Government alone, they require other parties to take part and to agree
:25:20. > :25:24.and the suggestion from opponents of Mr Salmond is those guarantees that,
:25:25. > :25:28.that support, that endorsement may not be readily forthcoming. We got a
:25:29. > :25:33.second front. You heard it in the interview you conducted with Mr
:25:34. > :25:43.Salmond. The Q A section of this white paper is the largest. The Q is
:25:44. > :25:50.- what is in it for me? The classic voter question. It's entirely a list
:25:51. > :25:56.of offers to family-friendly policies such as mildly enhancing
:25:57. > :25:59.pensions and particularly over the period enhancing childcare very
:26:00. > :26:04.substantially indeed. With regard to that, Alex Salmond is offering that
:26:05. > :26:08.duel path, the attempted reassurance. There is a challenge to
:26:09. > :26:10.the offers on policies as well, a challenge as to whether they are
:26:11. > :26:16.affordable. Alex Salmond is trying to go over the heads of the
:26:17. > :26:21.politician. He is trying to bypass the aspects of this debate and make
:26:22. > :26:25.a blunt offer to the voters. This is what is in it for you. The problem
:26:26. > :26:28.they have, obviously, on things like the currency, it's not really in
:26:29. > :26:36.their gift to say whether they can deliver it or not No, correct.
:26:37. > :26:40.Saying - suggestion that is part of it and that by not resolving this
:26:41. > :26:47.issue, if you like, they are hoping to bypass it rather than resolve it?
:26:48. > :26:56.The currency is hugely important issue. Things like NATO and EU
:26:57. > :26:59.member. His calculation is that voters presume these things would be
:27:00. > :27:04.sorted out somehow with regard to the EU and NATO. They go back to the
:27:05. > :27:11.question - what is in it for me? The view among voters, there is not
:27:12. > :27:15.hostility to independence, there is anxiety, concern, fretfulness and
:27:16. > :27:19.doubt. Alex Salmond is twieg to offer he are assurance on those
:27:20. > :27:26.concerns. He is trying to do that with the idea of continuity or on
:27:27. > :27:31.things like EU and the currency and monarchy. He is making an offer on
:27:32. > :27:35.enhancing the welfare and benefit and provisions for Scotland's
:27:36. > :27:39.families. Their rivals can counter that in terms of affordability, Alex
:27:40. > :27:43.Salmond believes that is a message that will resonate with the voters.
:27:44. > :27:49.You know, the document was launched in the Science Centre, politic tics
:27:50. > :27:54.can sometimes be -- politics can sometimes be a dark art.
:27:55. > :28:02.I was struck at Alex Salmond's reluctance to commit himself, he
:28:03. > :28:05.said he would go into a currency agreement with the rest of the UK on
:28:06. > :28:09.the assumption that it was permanent but did not want to commit itself to
:28:10. > :28:14.telling people that their dreams of getting out of it later were not
:28:15. > :28:18.realistic. He did not want to commit to it. I just wonder whether there
:28:19. > :28:23.is a hostage to fortune in that. Firstly, with the British Government
:28:24. > :28:28.who will be saying that they are not even serious and also with the
:28:29. > :28:31.financial markets. Back to the bond markets as well. If you're going to
:28:32. > :28:40.make a currency alliance, it needs to have a permanent strip. He is was
:28:41. > :28:43.the right when he says that politicians in Britain talk about
:28:44. > :28:45.joining the euro but you're going to have to convince the markets that
:28:46. > :28:52.you are serious. If you take the Eurozone as an example, if the
:28:53. > :28:56.Greeks or the Germans, two ends of the spectrum, said that they are bit
:28:57. > :28:59.fed up and it was not working out, the markets pounds. You need to be
:29:00. > :29:06.absolutely clear that you are sticking with it. Until such point
:29:07. > :29:12.as he -- you decide to blood. Quinn on the basis that you might pull out
:29:13. > :29:15.if something better comes along -- you decide to pull out. Going on the
:29:16. > :29:18.basis that you might pull out of something better comes along later
:29:19. > :29:22.then it weakens the case. That is one of the problems with the Plan B
:29:23. > :29:25.that they are being asked about repeatedly. If the answer that
:29:26. > :29:29.question, they get themselves into trouble. I have to sympathise to
:29:30. > :29:37.some extent. Lets end on youngsters. I find it very top tune that Alex
:29:38. > :29:40.Salmond 's Institute -- seemed to suggest that the children of
:29:41. > :29:45.Aberdeenshire were waiting for his white paper. There had been an
:29:46. > :29:48.expectation that the young voters would deliver a substantial degree
:29:49. > :29:52.of support to independence. I stress it is not appear but it does not
:29:53. > :29:56.appear to be the case of even of all of the youngsters of Scotland turned
:29:57. > :30:00.their heads against independence, there impact among the wider vote is
:30:01. > :30:08.not all that substantial. There is not a substantial number. Their
:30:09. > :30:11.contribution is welcome, I am just talking arithmetic rather than being
:30:12. > :30:14.patronising! I will have to leave it there. Thank you very much. A quick
:30:15. > :30:27.look at tomorrow's front pages. There is a picture of Alex Salmond
:30:28. > :30:32.and Nicola Sturgeon. This is the American edition. We will show you
:30:33. > :30:43.it by magic. There is also a picture of Alex Salmond.
:30:44. > :30:50.That is all from me tonight. Join me tomorrow at 10:30pm. Jackie Bird,
:30:51. > :30:56.Glen Campbell and I will be putting John Swinney and one lamb and
:30:57. > :31:09.through their paces. Good night. -- and Johann Lamont.
:31:10. > :31:14.For a lot of us, tomorrow will start off quite drizzly, particularly in
:31:15. > :31:18.the Pennines. In the afternoon, there is a chance of a bit of
:31:19. > :31:22.sunshine. We think towards the east of the Pennines, Lincolnshire, Hull,
:31:23. > :31:28.the north-east. Some sunshine also. Notice that the Southeast, all the
:31:29. > :31:32.way through the Isle of Wight and Sussex, this is where we will have
:31:33. > :31:36.those low grey skies. For the south-west of the country, although
:31:37. > :31:40.all fairly cloudy. Temperatures of around 10 degrees. Light winds but a
:31:41. > :31:44.bit of sunshine around. It looks like it will be one solid area of
:31:45. > :31:49.cloud. There will be at least one or two breaks from time to time. As we
:31:50. > :31:54.head towards the north-west of the country, Northern Ireland and the
:31:55. > :31:58.Western Isles, cloudy here and that pieces of drizzle but the other side
:31:59. > :31:59.of Scotland around five and Aberdeenshire age should be little