:00:00. > :00:00.the force and a very difficult position. `` in a very difficult
:00:00. > :00:10.position. of the video.
:00:11. > :00:22.Now on BBC News, Scotland Decides: Referendum Today, with Sarah Smith.
:00:23. > :00:26.Tonight, with just over a fortnight to go
:00:27. > :00:29.until Scotland decides, a new survey shows the polls are tightening.
:00:30. > :00:32.As the gap between the two sides appears to be
:00:33. > :00:43.narrowing, the First Minister says "independence is closer than ever".
:00:44. > :00:49.It is moving many people, the thought that they have a
:00:50. > :00:50.once`in`a`lifetime to change the status of this country. That would
:00:51. > :00:57.be the biggest hangover in history. "independence is closer than ever".
:00:58. > :00:59.Has the campaign been more heat than light?
:01:00. > :01:01.We speak to both sides about whether voters are getting
:01:02. > :01:03.the information they need. And our correspondent is
:01:04. > :01:07.on the road with George Galloway, the political maverick determined
:01:08. > :01:09.to keep Scotland in the union. Good evening from Glasgow.
:01:10. > :01:11.Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond,
:01:12. > :01:14.says he believes that independence is closer than ever in the wake
:01:15. > :01:18.of an opinion poll which suggests the no campaign's lead has shrunk.
:01:19. > :01:23.The YouGov poll which excluded undecided voters put
:01:24. > :01:28.support for the union just 6% ahead, compared with 14% in mid`August.
:01:29. > :01:28.The First Minister has been speaking to our
:01:29. > :01:40.Political Editor Nick Robinson. The worry I would have is what we
:01:41. > :01:47.would feel like if we didn't take this opportunity. That is a downside
:01:48. > :01:52.of not being with you, what is a downside of going with you. You
:01:53. > :01:57.asked me what the concern is, and what is moving many people is having
:01:58. > :02:02.this once`in`a`lifetime opportunity to change the country, if they
:02:03. > :02:10.didn't take it that would be the biggest hangover in history. We are
:02:11. > :02:15.saying we will have the ingredients if we work together as a country to
:02:16. > :02:20.build a more prosperous and just society, that is the attraction of
:02:21. > :02:25.the yes message. Nobody will do better for the people of Scotland or
:02:26. > :02:30.do a better job or care more about it than the people who live and work
:02:31. > :02:36.in Scotland. You say you will get more childcare, as an example. Who
:02:37. > :02:43.will pay more in Scotland in their taxes to fund the ?700 million bill?
:02:44. > :03:00.Two ways, at the start of the process we will set out in our
:03:01. > :03:09.plans, including cancelling the Trident programme. Men and women are
:03:10. > :03:16.able to come back into the Labour force and the income they generate
:03:17. > :03:21.through income tax and a range of other taxes comes to the Scottish
:03:22. > :03:27.exchequer, where is currently 90% of it goes to the Exchequer in London,
:03:28. > :03:32.allowing us to fund childcare over ten years to enable that to happen.
:03:33. > :03:40.The Scottish Parliament's own figures say you need 40,000 women to
:03:41. > :03:44.go back to work. No, they were looking at one cohort. We are
:03:45. > :03:51.arguing for the policy over a 10`year period, that is a successive
:03:52. > :03:55.ten years of cohorts. So their figures are wrong? Wrong in the
:03:56. > :04:02.sense that they are looking at the policy over one year. Can we get the
:04:03. > :04:09.100,000 more people back into the workforce? Particularly women? In
:04:10. > :04:21.the last year we have had an increase in female employment of
:04:22. > :04:28.36,000. They say there are only 65,000 women available. This is not
:04:29. > :04:31.a one`year policy, there are successive generations and
:04:32. > :04:37.successive years of mothers, that is the point we are making. We are 70%
:04:38. > :04:42.already of women participating in the workforce in Scotland, much
:04:43. > :04:47.higher than the rest of the UK. In a country like Sweden it is 76% so why
:04:48. > :04:53.can't we have the same participation of the workforce as Sweden? Why
:04:54. > :04:58.can't we? Because they don't have access to the same system of
:04:59. > :05:03.childcare as they have in Sweden. We want that, which is why the radical
:05:04. > :05:10.policy has been put forward. You say Scotland will be fairer, the cuts
:05:11. > :05:12.will end, but you also seem to say nobody 's taxes will go up. Who will
:05:13. > :05:17.pay for these things? There plenty of cuts in nuclear weapons so
:05:18. > :05:28.we don't agree with expenditure. We have not put forward
:05:29. > :05:34.any proposals to change tax, if we had you would know about them. Is it
:05:35. > :05:40.straight with people to say actually somebody pays more in tax? We are
:05:41. > :05:47.projecting budget deficit of 2.4%, an increase in spending of 3% a
:05:48. > :05:52.year, is not a Princes Ransom, it is not a reckless spending policy. The
:05:53. > :05:58.current coalition is putting forward 1% per year, which means ?25 billion
:05:59. > :06:04.more cuts which is a dead`end policy, leaving people out of the
:06:05. > :06:08.workforce. You are promising business taxes will go down, you are
:06:09. > :06:18.not promising to increase the taxes of the rich. Only in the last few
:06:19. > :06:22.days this has been backed by a Nobel laureate, a member of the Scottish
:06:23. > :06:23.Council of economic advisers are very serious economist who these
:06:24. > :06:28.policies. Political Editor Nick Robinson.
:06:29. > :06:30.So let's get more on that new poll published
:06:31. > :06:33.in today's newspapers carried out by the polling organisation YouGov.
:06:34. > :06:35.It shows support for a yes vote has risen in the last month.
:06:36. > :06:41.Excluding the ''don't knows'', 53% of those asked said they
:06:42. > :06:43.to vote no. 47% would back independence.
:06:44. > :06:47.So taking that latest survey into account ` the poll of polls suggests
:06:48. > :06:49.the no campaign is now on 55%. The yes campaign is on 45%.
:06:50. > :06:52.That's according to an average of half a dozen recent polls taken,
:06:53. > :06:56.calculated by the What Scotland Thinks website.
:06:57. > :07:00.Labour's Jim Murphy has resumed his 100 streets in 100 days tour.
:07:01. > :07:02.The MP for East Renfrewshire temporarily halted the tour last
:07:03. > :07:06.week amid claims of organised intimidation by yes supporters.
:07:07. > :07:10.There was a noticeable police presence
:07:11. > :07:11.at the event in Edinburgh today. Mr Murphy insisted there was still
:07:12. > :07:24.a lot to play for. We always knew this was going to be
:07:25. > :07:28.close and the polls suggest that, but the only poll that matters is
:07:29. > :07:34.the one that happens on referendum day. I am confident the majority
:07:35. > :07:38.will speak out, who want change, the best of both worlds, more power in
:07:39. > :07:43.the Scottish parliament but don't want to take the enormous risk of
:07:44. > :07:47.leaving the UK, and we can change our country. David Cameron is
:07:48. > :07:49.temporary, independence is forever, and that is why we are campaigning
:07:50. > :08:01.to keep Scotland in the UK. a lot to play for.
:08:02. > :08:07.So with accusations of mud`slinging on both sides of the campaign are
:08:08. > :08:09.the voters being well served? Are they getting the facts
:08:10. > :08:12.which will help them decide which way to vote on the 18th?
:08:13. > :08:13.Earlier on BBC News, Victoria Derbyshire hosted
:08:14. > :08:21.a debate with 300 voters in Dundee. As a snapshot, I would like to ask
:08:22. > :08:33.you now, who here feels they have been able to get straightforward
:08:34. > :08:36.facts and information? ALL: No! I would say there were more saying no
:08:37. > :08:53.and yes! `` than yes. a debate with 300 voters in Dundee.
:08:54. > :08:56.You can listen to more of that debate on the Five Live website.
:08:57. > :08:59.With me now to discuss the tone of the campaign is Angus Millar
:09:00. > :09:00.from Yes Scotland, and in our Dundee studio is Connor McElwaine,
:09:01. > :09:04.who's a Better Together campaigner. How can it be that people still feel
:09:05. > :09:08.they are not getting enough information? They are put through
:09:09. > :09:13.this lance of the different perspectives, there is maybe not as
:09:14. > :09:21.much impartial information as people would like to see but ultimately we
:09:22. > :09:24.need to highlight that in amongst the competing facts and the
:09:25. > :09:28.argy`bargy, everyone agrees Scotland is one of the wealthiest countries
:09:29. > :09:32.in the world, that we will be the wealthiest country in the world ever
:09:33. > :09:38.to become independent and we have got what it takes. We say that we
:09:39. > :09:43.should believe in ourselves, we should believe in our ability to
:09:44. > :09:49.make Scotland a better place to live because nobody knows Scotland better
:09:50. > :09:53.and nobody would do a better job. There are unprecedented levels of
:09:54. > :09:57.voter engagement with this campaign. People are turning up to public
:09:58. > :10:02.meetings and town halls around the country, yet people still feel they
:10:03. > :10:07.don't have the information that will help them make up their minds. I
:10:08. > :10:12.think one of the main positive things to come out of this debate
:10:13. > :10:17.will be the impact that young people in particular have engaged in this
:10:18. > :10:22.issue in an unprecedented way. Looking beyond that, a broad range
:10:23. > :10:30.of people who would never have got involved in a political campaign are
:10:31. > :10:35.getting involved in this argument. What I would say is that I was in
:10:36. > :10:39.the audience of the five live debate today and we heard people literally
:10:40. > :10:45.crying out that they are not getting the answers they deserve. The SNP
:10:46. > :10:49.are the ones proposing what is on the ballot paper and it is only
:10:50. > :10:53.right they come forward with the answers to these sometimes very
:10:54. > :10:58.simple questions. There is little more than two weeks to and people
:10:59. > :11:03.still don't have answers to their pressing concerns. Problem is that
:11:04. > :11:07.voters don't believe either side when you paint different pictures of
:11:08. > :11:14.what an independent Scotland would be like, and they just don't know
:11:15. > :11:19.what will happen to their lives if Scotland voted yes. It is certainly
:11:20. > :11:24.true people don't trust politicians in general unfortunately, but in the
:11:25. > :11:27.yes campaign we are focused on day`to`day conversations between
:11:28. > :11:30.people and families in the workplace, people talking about what
:11:31. > :11:36.independence will mean and the real opportunities we have with
:11:37. > :11:40.independence to make Scotland a more prosperous country. People relate
:11:41. > :11:47.more to people they know and trust in their everyday lives and I think
:11:48. > :11:52.that is of far more value to the campaign then maybe two politicians
:11:53. > :11:58.debating on the TV for example. Are you worried by this latest poll that
:11:59. > :12:07.would show your lead is narrowing? No, I think it shows a consistent
:12:08. > :12:11.lead for the no campaign, and we are out every day campaigning for every
:12:12. > :12:17.vote, speaking to a lot of undecided voters who don't have the answers to
:12:18. > :12:21.the questions they need. We always expected the polls would narrow at
:12:22. > :12:27.this point but we continued to speak to undecided voters until the end of
:12:28. > :12:29.this campaign. We have seen Jim Murphy pelted with eggs, Alex
:12:30. > :12:32.this campaign. We have seen Jim Murphy pelted with eggs, Salmond has
:12:33. > :12:41.received death threats, is there a problem that things are getting too
:12:42. > :12:45.aggressive? I have been me subject of numerous personal attacks on
:12:46. > :12:50.social media. I went to the debate with Jim Murphy today and words
:12:51. > :12:55.cannot describe the atmosphere at that event, other than it was a
:12:56. > :13:00.horrible atmosphere. It must be a horrendous position to be in if you
:13:01. > :13:04.are on undecided voters, going along to one of these meetings and being
:13:05. > :13:09.worried that you will be shouted down if you ask a difficult question
:13:10. > :13:14.to one of the politicians proposing that we should go independent. I
:13:15. > :13:18.have got thick skin but it is a shame that this environment is
:13:19. > :13:22.existing in the campaign. I don't think it has any place in the
:13:23. > :13:30.campaign. This decision is irreversible and people need answers
:13:31. > :13:33.to the questions. Do you recognise that description of the campaign as
:13:34. > :13:39.nasty? No, I think there have been
:13:40. > :13:43.unacceptable incidents on both sides of the campaign and it is important
:13:44. > :13:51.to highlight that it is not just yes versus no campaigners.
:13:52. > :13:55.This is a tiny minority of people involved in the debate. The
:13:56. > :14:03.referendum has been usually positive for Scotland. We have a massive
:14:04. > :14:05.level of voter engagement and some people voting and discussing
:14:06. > :14:08.politics for the first time in decades. There are political
:14:09. > :14:13.discussions on the breakfast table, at the pub. It is a really exciting
:14:14. > :14:19.time for Scotland with people actively engaging about the future
:14:20. > :14:20.of the country. That is what we will take away from this campaign,
:14:21. > :14:26.regardless of how the vote goes. Tommy Sheridan and George Galloway
:14:27. > :14:28.are two well known political mavericks touring Scotland
:14:29. > :14:29.at the moment. They are both socialists but are
:14:30. > :14:32.on separate sides Our referendum correspondent
:14:33. > :14:35.Laura Bicker has spent time with both of them `
:14:36. > :14:47.tonight she reports from George This is not George Galloway's normal
:14:48. > :14:52.stomping ground but just one of the stops on his just say no to.
:14:53. > :14:58.Hundreds packed into the hall to hear him speak. Some are tired of
:14:59. > :15:04.hearing about it. But you have to listen. This was before the Respect
:15:05. > :15:08.party MP was attacked in London and on this night his harshest words
:15:09. > :15:12.were for his political opponents. One of the problems with Scottish
:15:13. > :15:17.Nationalists if they blind themselves to those facts that do
:15:18. > :15:20.not suit their argument. Some Yes campaign supporters were keen to
:15:21. > :15:30.hear him speak but did not agree with what they were hearing. Listen,
:15:31. > :15:35.you have 45 minutes. Put this in your pipe and smoke it. And come
:15:36. > :15:40.back. The distinctive hat and coat stayed on throughout the talk. His
:15:41. > :15:44.pacing and dreaded each sentence. It has been a difficult week for the
:15:45. > :15:51.Bradford West MP, so why take on another fight? I felt that the No
:15:52. > :15:56.campaign was not being energetic or eloquent enough in defence of what
:15:57. > :16:03.we have. My target by and large is working class people, Labour voters,
:16:04. > :16:08.left wing people who are beginning to move pretty wholesale towards the
:16:09. > :16:15.Scottish Nationalists position. It seems that many are keen to listen.
:16:16. > :16:23.He is a terrific orator and you just knew he would give you a laugh.
:16:24. > :16:26.These guys are fans so I thought I had better come along to see what
:16:27. > :16:35.they're talking about. Really enthusiastic. He takes no prisoners.
:16:36. > :16:40.Despite the odd bit of heckling, this was very much George
:16:41. > :16:45.Galloway's platform. For him, this is personal.
:16:46. > :16:48.The future of higher education in Scotland has played a major part
:16:49. > :16:51.Academics from institutions across the country have been
:16:52. > :16:53.discussing what impact independence might have on research.
:16:54. > :16:56.Gavin Esler spent the day talking about the issue in the historic
:16:57. > :17:12.For some thoughts about how education will play into the debate
:17:13. > :17:19.I am joined by Professor Murdoch and Professor Naismith. What do you
:17:20. > :17:25.you and for medical science if there are is a yes vote? For biomedical
:17:26. > :17:29.science it is difficult to see independence as being a positive
:17:30. > :17:34.outcome. I think we will suffer a little bit and funding could be cut
:17:35. > :17:39.off from some collaborations. I do not think it is the defining issue
:17:40. > :17:46.of the referendum but it will be difficult to see a positive for
:17:47. > :17:52.biomedical sciences. There is a lot of international collaboration, what
:17:53. > :17:58.do you make of that? I do not have any concerns just because a border
:17:59. > :18:02.goes up or comes down. Those who work on particular projects will
:18:03. > :18:08.continue to seek out those mines to work on similar projects. As for the
:18:09. > :18:11.funding, I have no idea which government would be a next in so I
:18:12. > :18:20.could not predict if it Conservative or Labour, or an SNP
:18:21. > :18:25.alliance. My main concern would be to emphasise that I do not think
:18:26. > :18:31.international research will be confined by boundaries. The British
:18:32. > :18:36.track record of funding finds perhaps has not been that good.
:18:37. > :18:43.Scotland gets more than its proportional share of funding
:18:44. > :18:48.however. That is correct. I think the track record of output has been
:18:49. > :18:53.outstanding in Britain. I agree that international collaboration of
:18:54. > :19:01.Wilmot N. But funded collaborations with England, I think that will end.
:19:02. > :19:02.Debates and discussions like this have been taking place all over
:19:03. > :19:09.Scotland. `` collaboration will not. Stay with BBC News for the latest
:19:10. > :19:12.on the Scottish referendum. Tomorrow ` on the eve of the NATO
:19:13. > :19:15.summit ` Gavin Esler will be live in Faslane to discuss the future
:19:16. > :19:18.of Scotland's defences. There's lots of analysis
:19:19. > :19:21.of all the issues of the campaign, including today an assessment
:19:22. > :19:23.from our Economics Correspondent Colletta Smith on what the future
:19:24. > :19:26.holds for Scotland's pensioners. That and much more
:19:27. > :19:32.at bbc.co.uk/scotlanddecides. A reminder you can join
:19:33. > :19:59.me every night at 7:30 Here on BBC News, just to bring you
:20:00. > :20:00.up to date with events in Spain. The Spanish authorities have apparently