:00:00. > :00:00.can watch the interview on Sport Wales at 7pm. Now the weekly
:00:00. > :00:17.round`up of the Scottish independence campaign.
:00:18. > :00:21.Welcome to the review of the week. Alex Salmond and Alistair Sammon
:00:22. > :00:34.went head`to`head in a televised debate on Scottish independence. ``
:00:35. > :00:38.Alastair Darling. We look at the referendum through the eyes of the
:00:39. > :00:43.foreign correspondents covering it. This week was about one big event, a
:00:44. > :00:49.televised debate that effectively fired the starting gun on an intense
:00:50. > :00:53.six`week campaign running up to the referendum on September the 18. The
:00:54. > :00:58.leader of the Better Together campaign which wants to keep
:00:59. > :01:03.Scotland in the United Kingdom, Alastair Darling, went head`to`head
:01:04. > :01:08.with Alex Salmond and what dominated these exchanges, which were seen by
:01:09. > :01:15.about 1.7 million people, was currency. I want you to do something
:01:16. > :01:20.that would be really difficult. I want you to contemplate for one
:01:21. > :01:28.minute the fact you might be wrong. What is plan B? If you do not get a
:01:29. > :01:35.currency unit, what is it we are going to have instead? Something
:01:36. > :01:38.more difficult than contemplating I am wrong, I am contemplating you
:01:39. > :01:45.were right last year when you said it was logical and desirable. I
:01:46. > :01:50.believe used else think it is logical and desirable that last year
:01:51. > :01:53.was before we were in the campaign period and during the campaign
:01:54. > :01:59.period you, George Osborne, the Unionist parties, have to engage...
:02:00. > :02:09.You are not doing yourself any favours. Use edit was logical and
:02:10. > :02:12.desirable. `` you said it was. They also clashed over whether or not an
:02:13. > :02:18.independent Scotland could be successful. David Cameron has said,
:02:19. > :02:22.supporters of independence will always be able to set examples of
:02:23. > :02:27.small independent thriving economies across Europe. It would be wrong to
:02:28. > :02:32.suggest Scotland could not be another successful independent
:02:33. > :02:40.country. Do you agree? Small countries have to make sure they
:02:41. > :02:45.balance the books. Do you agree? With your own figures we would have
:02:46. > :02:48.a much bigger deficit at the time of independence than the rest of the UK
:02:49. > :02:55.and that would mean very difficult decisions that you are not prepared
:02:56. > :03:01.to face up to. Do you agree or not? I was going to make another point.
:03:02. > :03:13.Do you agree or not. Let me answer your question. Listen to the answer.
:03:14. > :03:17.Do you agree? They tend to have higher prices in the shops than we
:03:18. > :03:23.do. Look at the pressures on public spending. The risks of independence
:03:24. > :03:33.are not worth it. Question and answer. Do you agree with David
:03:34. > :03:40.Cameron or not? You are more like Michael Howard than Jeremy Paxman.
:03:41. > :03:47.Who came out on top? A poll suggested that Alastair Darling had
:03:48. > :03:55.won. Many supporters of independence also thought that was the case. He
:03:56. > :04:00.was prepared to face Mr Boring and what he got was Mr Angry. He
:04:01. > :04:14.underestimated Alastair Darling who took it to them. It was a very
:04:15. > :04:21.interesting debate which Alastair Darling won. He clearly could not
:04:22. > :04:25.answer the question, does he agree with David Cameron that an
:04:26. > :04:30.independent Scotland would be a successful country? It is a simple
:04:31. > :04:34.question. Alex Salmond refusing to acknowledge even the substance of
:04:35. > :04:41.the points that Alastair Darling was putting to him, it particularly on
:04:42. > :04:48.the currency. I think Alex Salmond felt that conclusively. Darling was
:04:49. > :04:52.nervous and it impacted on his performance, which was not strong
:04:53. > :04:59.initially. The only came to life under cross`examination. What Alex
:05:00. > :05:04.Salmond needs to do is recreate with his passion, the reason why all of
:05:05. > :05:10.this has been worth it. Why have we spent 30 years getting to this
:05:11. > :05:13.point? Tell us again. The televised showdown triggered a storm of
:05:14. > :05:21.activity on social media as each side tried to amplify their own
:05:22. > :06:09.arguments. The hash tag was used many times after the programme.
:06:10. > :06:17.The same for our look at the latest polls, which were carried out before
:06:18. > :06:25.the debate took place. This suggests a narrowing of the no campaign's
:06:26. > :06:44.lead. The yes vote is at 45% and the no vote is at 55%, according to an
:06:45. > :06:50.average of six polls. More than 200 big names who oppose independence
:06:51. > :06:59.then a love letter to Scotland, ranging from Judi Dench to Mick
:07:00. > :07:07.Jagger. It was part of a campaign for staying together. A group of US
:07:08. > :07:11.congressmen tabled a resolution expressing support for a united and
:07:12. > :07:15.prosperous United Kingdom. The motion said it respected the right
:07:16. > :07:19.of the Scottish people to make their decision and also said a united UK
:07:20. > :07:25.was important for US national security priorities. There was
:07:26. > :07:33.support for a yes vote from Scottish financiers including a former
:07:34. > :07:40.chairman of RBS. Arguing an independent Scotland would remain in
:07:41. > :07:47.a sterling union. William Hill came out in favour of independence.
:07:48. > :07:50.Scotland has very much been in the international spotlight over the
:07:51. > :07:55.past few weeks with the city hosting the Commonwealth Games, deemed by
:07:56. > :08:03.many people are resounding success. The spotlight is not likely to move
:08:04. > :08:04.away, it is likely to refocus on politics and our referendum
:08:05. > :08:19.correspondent has been looking at how others see us. As a lone piper
:08:20. > :08:22.bid athletes farewell, it was time for the world's media to prepare for
:08:23. > :08:25.Scotland's next big contest. What have our visitors made of the
:08:26. > :08:34.referendum? Yes, yes, yes from the younger ones, on the oldies, no. Not
:08:35. > :08:41.much. I only found out once I got to the UK two weeks ago. I only know it
:08:42. > :08:45.is a one`way decision, it is a big decision for Scotland to make. A lot
:08:46. > :08:51.of people want independence. We are finally here in Scotland. Amongst
:08:52. > :08:56.the journalists we found Scott Russell from CBC and do. But that
:08:57. > :08:59.has twice asked its people if they want to become an independent state
:09:00. > :09:05.and twice the answer has been no, though the last time it was close.
:09:06. > :09:09.This is all about culture, it is all about people and
:09:10. > :09:13.self`determination. People tend to recall their history when they need
:09:14. > :09:18.to and want to. I think this is what is going to happen in Scotland. If
:09:19. > :09:23.the referendum does not succeed this time it will come back. ABC in
:09:24. > :09:28.Australia has compiled documentaries on the referendum, the respondent
:09:29. > :09:33.Barbara Miller was born in Uddingston but left in the 1990s.
:09:34. > :09:37.Australians like the idea that Scotland might reject the English,
:09:38. > :09:42.there is such a rivalry between Australia and England in sport is
:09:43. > :09:50.not the Australians love to call the English the pommes. There is nothing
:09:51. > :09:54.more exciting for Australians than an Australia versus England match.
:09:55. > :09:58.They like the idea this small country of which they have a
:09:59. > :10:05.romantic notion might reject England. They are not prepared to do
:10:06. > :10:10.it themselves. The world's gaze has not left Scotland. They are still
:10:11. > :10:16.watching and still waiting to see how we will vote for the.
:10:17. > :10:25.They will be watching more and more so as we approach the referendum.
:10:26. > :10:33.You can get the latest information from the BBC News website. Also
:10:34. > :10:37.coming up this week Andrew Neil presents a special programme,
:10:38. > :10:46.Scotland votes, what is at stake for the UK? That is it for now. For the
:10:47. > :10:48.review of the week. I will be back at the same time next week. Join us
:10:49. > :10:59.again next time. In a moment a look
:11:00. > :11:04.at how the financial markets in Europe closed the day, but first
:11:05. > :11:07.the headlines on BBC News: out its first air strike on Islamic
:11:08. > :11:13.militants in northern Iraq ` targeting artillery
:11:14. > :11:14.near the city of Irbil. Israel has resumed air
:11:15. > :11:16.attacks on Gaza in response to rocket fire
:11:17. > :11:19.from Hamas militants `