:00:00. > :00:00.In a week's time, Scotland will have voted on its
:00:00. > :00:08.future, whether to stay in the UK or become an independent country.
:00:09. > :00:12.Tonight, we've invited 16 and 17-year-olds, given the vote for the
:00:13. > :00:15.first time, from every secondary school in Scotland, to join a debate
:00:16. > :00:20.Thousands have come from every corner of Scotland here
:00:21. > :00:24.to the Hydro in Glasgow to question directly those who are campaigning
:00:25. > :00:59.This is Scotland Decides: The Big, Big Debate.
:01:00. > :01:03.Welcome to Scotland's newest major music venue.
:01:04. > :01:06.In the coming weeks it will host the likes of Paolo Nutini and
:01:07. > :01:09.Lady Gaga, but tonight, entertainment of a different sort.
:01:10. > :01:12.We have invited a panel of Scotland's leading political
:01:13. > :01:15.figures to answer the questions put to them by Scotland's newest
:01:16. > :01:27.100,000 16 and 17-year-olds registered to vote.
:01:28. > :01:34.219 schools, from Ullapool in the north to
:01:35. > :01:41.The biggest ever event of its kind in Scotland.
:01:42. > :01:43.A lot of us are still undecided so we hope today's
:01:44. > :01:51.There is uncertainty about the currency, still.
:01:52. > :01:53.There are still some questions that need to be answered and that
:01:54. > :01:59.I would like to know what I can get from it, education-wise,
:02:00. > :02:16.I am joined by four panellists who have been nominated by the
:02:17. > :02:19.rival campaigns as their official representatives this evening.
:02:20. > :02:22.From Yes Scotland, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and
:02:23. > :02:25.co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party, Patrick Harvie. And the
:02:26. > :02:29.nominated representatives from the Better Together campaign, leader of
:02:30. > :02:31.the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson
:02:32. > :02:38.An audience of 500 from all over Scotland has been selected to sit
:02:39. > :02:42.on the floor of this arena and take part in the main debate,
:02:43. > :02:45.and they are evenly divided between supporters of independence on one
:02:46. > :02:51.side and opponents on the other, plus some who are undecided.
:02:52. > :02:52.Tonight's questions all come from our audience
:02:53. > :02:57.Let's take first question from Amy of Stewarton Academy in
:02:58. > :03:05.How would independence affect job opportunities for school leavers
:03:06. > :03:15.Independence gives Scotland control of economic levers and one
:03:16. > :03:18.of the reasons I want Scotland to be independent is
:03:19. > :03:21.so that we can create more job opportunities for our young people.
:03:22. > :03:25.There's nothing wrong with young people wanting to leave Scotland
:03:26. > :03:27.for a while to see the world, spread their wings.
:03:28. > :03:30.But right now something like 40,000 of our young people
:03:31. > :03:33.leave Scotland every year, many of them because they can't find
:03:34. > :03:37.the opportunities and the jobs and career progression here.
:03:38. > :03:40.If we have control over our economic levers we can create
:03:41. > :03:44.more opportunities, encourage more companies to set up in Scotland,
:03:45. > :03:48.to expand in Scotland, to create jobs for all of you and your fellow
:03:49. > :03:55.When I look out at this audience just now, I can't
:03:56. > :03:59.help having my immense confidence in the ability of this country to
:04:00. > :04:05.You are the future of Scotland and you are the reason that
:04:06. > :04:09.an independent Scotland will be a roaring success.
:04:10. > :04:18.I agree that this is a phenomenal sight, not just those on the floor
:04:19. > :04:24.The engagement from Scotland's young people has
:04:25. > :04:29.been immense, but so has the level of information and informed debate.
:04:30. > :04:32.And people in Scotland of any age know there are many jobs in Scotland
:04:33. > :04:35.that exist because we work with people from other parts of the UK.
:04:36. > :04:38.180,000 financial services jobs in Scotland, for example.
:04:39. > :04:43.Nine out of ten pension products and insurance products sold in Scotland
:04:44. > :04:53.In manufacturing, we sell twice as much to the rest of the UK as to
:04:54. > :04:56.You take your Americas, Japans, Frances, Germanys and Australias,
:04:57. > :05:00.add it all up and double it and you still don't sell
:05:01. > :05:03.as much there as we do to England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
:05:04. > :05:06.I think if you look at the history of our country we have always worked
:05:07. > :05:10.Lots of Scottish companies have set up shop down south,
:05:11. > :05:14.and lots of companies from down south employ people from up here.
:05:15. > :05:17.What I don't want to see is double regulation, barriers to that,
:05:18. > :05:23.I think young people leaving schools and universities right now know
:05:24. > :05:26.there are opportunities which exist because we are part of the United
:05:27. > :05:32.Kingdom, and many of them want to choose jobs exactly in that area.
:05:33. > :05:38.Patrick Harvie. I think there are two big problems that make
:05:39. > :05:41.the challenges for young people setting out on their career paths
:05:42. > :05:45.One is the austerity economics coming
:05:46. > :05:48.from the UK Government, so jobs in the public sector and very often
:05:49. > :05:52.in the voluntary sector as well are being squeezed for finances.
:05:53. > :05:56.It is only when Scotland controls its own finances that we
:05:57. > :06:02.But also, economic policy that centralises so much power
:06:03. > :06:07.So many parts of our economy, from banking to energy to food
:06:08. > :06:12.and retail, are dominated by a tiny number of vast businesses, crowding
:06:13. > :06:16.out space which could be taken up by the flourishing of independent,
:06:17. > :06:21.entrepreneurial, creative people like all of you, in your careers.
:06:22. > :06:25.I think we need to change both these things, the centralisation of power
:06:26. > :06:29.in our economy as well as the austerity economics from the UK.
:06:30. > :06:33.If I saw an alternative coming from the UK I might even be on the other
:06:34. > :06:36.side of this debate, but I see no prospect that we can change these
:06:37. > :06:42.George Galloway, how would independence affect job
:06:43. > :06:45.opportunities for school leavers and university graduates?
:06:46. > :06:49.There are too many barriers, boundaries and borders
:06:50. > :06:52.in the world already without erecting new ones in the second
:06:53. > :07:01.Young people know that better than any other section of the community.
:07:02. > :07:05.The austerity that Patrick talks about, out of which we are now
:07:06. > :07:11.finally coming, with an election coming up in Britain in the spring,
:07:12. > :07:20.But it is as nothing to what will happen if the disruption and,
:07:21. > :07:23.I believe, destruction of separation takes place.
:07:24. > :07:29.Just this week, billions of pounds, billions,
:07:30. > :07:34.has been wiped off the share price of Scottish based companies.
:07:35. > :07:38.Money is flowing out of Edinburgh, out of the banks, south
:07:39. > :07:46.And the banks themselves announcing, and insurance companies,
:07:47. > :07:52.as they are legally obliged to do, that they will relocate their
:07:53. > :07:57.headquarters in England because they are obliged to headquarter where the
:07:58. > :08:06.So if you are hoping for a job in financial services in the new,
:08:07. > :08:12.modern technologies, it must make sense to keep together one
:08:13. > :08:18.300-year-old country with strength and with a critical mass of
:08:19. > :08:21.population, rather than following the nationalists down the
:08:22. > :08:30.I would like to make this debate as much about the audience
:08:31. > :08:33.as possible so we will take a few points and I will come back.
:08:34. > :08:36.I would like to go back to Amy, first.
:08:37. > :08:38.What do you think of what you have heard?
:08:39. > :08:52.Over to the man in the middle with his hand up.
:08:53. > :08:55.Should we not have our own job-creating powers,
:08:56. > :08:58.so we can make job-creating powers that will benefit our country
:08:59. > :09:01.for ourselves, instead of allowing Westminster to do it?
:09:02. > :09:06.And George, we are not creating any physical boundaries or borders.
:09:07. > :09:09.We are creating a political separation and that is
:09:10. > :09:14.It should not be about misleading Scottish children.
:09:15. > :09:23.Last week, two large Scottish banks have vowed
:09:24. > :09:26.to move their headquarters south of the border if we go independent.
:09:27. > :09:29.And the SNP-backed policy of moving Trident south
:09:30. > :09:35.of the border will take the amount of jobs there are in Scotland.
:09:36. > :09:39.So how can Nicola say this will attract more jobs for young people?
:09:40. > :09:42.It has actively pushed jobs out just at the thought
:09:43. > :09:51.Firstly, I am just trying to get over hearing
:09:52. > :09:55.George Galloway, the socialist, tell you young people to be intimidated
:09:56. > :10:01.In truth, the share prices of most publicly listed Scottish
:10:02. > :10:09.The banks themselves today are saying that
:10:10. > :10:13.the contingency plans that they have drawn up, and that is what they are,
:10:14. > :10:17.contingency plans, don't involve moving their headquarters.
:10:18. > :10:21.They involve moving their brass plates, their registered offices.
:10:22. > :10:25.And the banks say they don't involve moving any jobs.
:10:26. > :10:28.If the banks say that, let's not have scaremongering
:10:29. > :10:36.And lastly, we will be better as a country if we can invest money
:10:37. > :10:39.in creating opportunity, rather than waste money on weapons of mass
:10:40. > :10:48.Ruth Davidson, Royal Bank Of Scotland, the gentleman is right,
:10:49. > :10:50.they said they would move their registered headquarters to London
:10:51. > :10:53.and the Chief Executive in a letter to staff said they have no intention
:10:54. > :10:59.And yet Standard Life said it was and had set up shell companies over
:11:00. > :11:01.the border to move operations and jobs into.
:11:02. > :11:12.And then Tesco Bank said they are moving their headquarters.
:11:13. > :11:14.If anybody wants to look at what Nicola has said
:11:15. > :11:18.about headquarters of Scottish companies moving in the past,
:11:19. > :11:23.all you need to do is Google Nicola Sturgeon 2005 BBC Scottish Power.
:11:24. > :11:26.When she said that when Scottish Power move their headquarters
:11:27. > :11:30.there would be inevitable job losses to do with that.
:11:31. > :11:38.You are the leader of the Conservative Party in Scotland.
:11:39. > :11:40.I would have thought you would have understood the difference between
:11:41. > :11:46.What you have just said there is flatly wrong.
:11:47. > :11:49.The banks are not saying they will move their headquarters.
:11:50. > :11:53.Lloyds Bank, for example, its headquarters is already in London.
:11:54. > :11:57.And if the banks are saying that what they have said today does not
:11:58. > :12:01.involve moving, Tesco Bank also said it did not affect jobs,
:12:02. > :12:04.so if they can say that why are you, as the no campaign, insisting
:12:05. > :12:11.Standard Life say they are moving operations.
:12:12. > :12:15.Why are those 5000 jobs not of interest to you?
:12:16. > :12:19.They are not saying they are moving jobs.
:12:20. > :12:26.You can decide a week today that you want to take control of the future
:12:27. > :12:29.of this country into your own hands, or you can choose to be intimidated
:12:30. > :12:40.I would like a point from the man in the blue blazer.
:12:41. > :12:43.Going back to what George said about how Scottish companies have
:12:44. > :12:46.lost out due to independence, my dad is an independent chartered surveyor
:12:47. > :12:50.and over the last year he has seen significant loss in his turnover due
:12:51. > :12:53.to the fact that international companies are not willing to
:12:54. > :12:58.Why is an independent Scotland a good thing?
:12:59. > :13:01.We have not had the referendum and yet Scottish companies are
:13:02. > :13:05.One more point and then I will come to George Galloway.
:13:06. > :13:13.Can I point out to George Galloway that this is not an SNP campaign,
:13:14. > :13:17.You have Radical Independence, Green for Independence, Women
:13:18. > :13:29.That is a distinction without a difference because if you vote
:13:30. > :13:41.I know you don't like me pointing that out, yes supporters,
:13:42. > :13:44.because you know that most people in Scotland really don't fancy
:13:45. > :13:53.Now, the young man whose father is a surveyor, it is hardly surprising.
:13:54. > :13:57.You are the only people in history to be asked to create
:13:58. > :14:01.a separate country that does not have a currency.
:14:02. > :14:17.The two women have had their share of air time.
:14:18. > :14:26.If you use another country's money, you are just a colony, like Panama,
:14:27. > :14:32.If you use money that is controlled by other people,
:14:33. > :14:51.Yet that is Alex Salmond's plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D. Thank you.
:14:52. > :14:55.Patrick Harvie? Look, aside from people shouting at
:14:56. > :15:01.each other about this, I thought it was just a couple of years ago since
:15:02. > :15:05.everybody right across the political spectrum was united in their anger
:15:06. > :15:08.and revulsion at the misdeeds of the banks themselves, the very same
:15:09. > :15:12.people trying to threaten and intimidate us now. The opportunity
:15:13. > :15:16.here is to build something different,th. Some of these banks,
:15:17. > :15:20.the public already owns them, bailing them out after their
:15:21. > :15:23.historic market failure. If the public already owns them, we should
:15:24. > :15:27.transform them into genuinely local banks that invest in the real
:15:28. > :15:30.economy, in the jobs we do need instead of gambling their money
:15:31. > :15:35.which is to say your money, on the casino economy, globally. Now,
:15:36. > :15:38.George may not understand the distinction between nationalism and
:15:39. > :15:41.the independence movement which is diverse and inclusive, it's become a
:15:42. > :15:45.compelling movement I think in Scotland, he may be tired of hearing
:15:46. > :15:50.the women speak, but just remember, he's also someone who doesn't know
:15:51. > :15:54.the distinction between rape and what he calls bad sexual etiquette.
:15:55. > :15:57.You should reject the argument of someone like that entirely.
:15:58. > :16:04.Thank you. Do you want to respond to that? Have
:16:05. > :16:10.you no decency, Sir? Have you no idea of how important this decision
:16:11. > :16:15.next Thursday is, to scrape the gutter of lies in that way? That's
:16:16. > :16:19.not why these people are here. Your own words. That's not people are
:16:20. > :16:24.voting on next Thursday. Thank you both. Have you no decency, Sir? Have
:16:25. > :16:27.you no decency. All of you, thank you very much. You have made your
:16:28. > :16:31.point about that. We are going to move on to the next question. I hear
:16:32. > :16:37.that, you have also made your reply. Thank you both very much.
:16:38. > :16:42.Let's go down to the Glasgow Gallic school and our next question. If
:16:43. > :16:46.Scotland stays as part of the UK, will we eventually have to pay
:16:47. > :16:50.tuition fees for higher education? Will Scots have to pay tuition fees
:16:51. > :16:56.for higher education if Scotland stays as part of the UK? Ruth
:16:57. > :16:59.Davidson? This audience has 16 and 17-year-olds. For 15 years,
:17:00. > :17:03.education's been the preserve of the Scottish Parliament, so for the last
:17:04. > :17:08.seven years, Nicola and Alex and the rest of the party have been running
:17:09. > :17:11.the Scottish education system in their entirety, so the decisions
:17:12. > :17:17.that are made about education are made here in Scotland, so it's the
:17:18. > :17:23.Nicola and Alex's decision to cut the college places in Scotland. It's
:17:24. > :17:28.closer to 140,000, I was being generous to them when I said the
:17:29. > :17:31.previous figure. In terms of having more powers coming into Scotland
:17:32. > :17:34.over how you raise money and how much income comes to Scotland,
:17:35. > :17:38.there'll be even more discretion in Scotland over things like health and
:17:39. > :17:43.education. Don't let the nationalists fool you. For 15 years,
:17:44. > :17:47.the Scottish Parliament has been in entire control of the Health
:17:48. > :17:51.Service, of education, of policing, of all of the services that we have
:17:52. > :17:55.today in Scotland. This isn't someone else's tough decision that
:17:56. > :17:59.has to be made, it's our decision here if Scotland irrespective of
:18:00. > :18:05.whether you vote yes or no. Don't forget, you can get involved in
:18:06. > :18:14.today's debate. You can text your views to 80295, e-mail us and if you
:18:15. > :18:21.are on social media, use the hashtag.
:18:22. > :18:28.Nicola Sturgeon, if Scotland stays as part of the UK, will we have to
:18:29. > :18:34.pay tuition fees for higher education? Education policy is
:18:35. > :18:39.devolved, that's why I'm proud that the SNP government, unlike this team
:18:40. > :18:43.over here, nobody's had the guts to come to talk to you from there
:18:44. > :18:46.tonight, but we have kept university education free. I feel really
:18:47. > :18:50.strongly about this. I grew up in the West of Scotland in a working
:18:51. > :18:54.class family. If I'd had to pay tuition fees I would never have got
:18:55. > :18:58.to university. I had the privilege of a free education and I've got no
:18:59. > :19:02.right to take it away from any of you.
:19:03. > :19:07.APPLAUSE. Yes we have policy control. What Ke
:19:08. > :19:11.don't have is financial crop. -- control. Our budget's been cut by 7%
:19:12. > :19:15.in recent years. The Tories want to cut our budget even more and the
:19:16. > :19:19.danger is, if our budget continues to get cut, our budget in what is
:19:20. > :19:22.one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it gets harder and harder
:19:23. > :19:28.for us to protect the things that matter. So we need to match up that
:19:29. > :19:33.policy control with control over our own budgets. We are the 14th richest
:19:34. > :19:36.country in the world. There's no reason we can't protect free
:19:37. > :19:38.education, but we are getting able to do it if we are an independent
:19:39. > :19:43.country. Thank you. The woman with the blonde
:19:44. > :19:50.hair in the second row? I just feel like Ruth's answer to that question
:19:51. > :19:55.was not a yes or no, like she didn't sum up whether we'd pay them or not.
:19:56. > :19:58.It's because it's already in our control, that doesn't change whether
:19:59. > :20:02.there's a yes or in answer whether you make the decision either way.
:20:03. > :20:09.That's in Scotland right now. The purple hand is up way, way, way up
:20:10. > :20:14.the back up there. Ruth never answered the question. She never
:20:15. > :20:17.answered whether we'd be protected. We could vote in a different
:20:18. > :20:23.Government, it may not be the SNP, how do we know if they are going to
:20:24. > :20:29.protect it? Thank you. On the edge there in the middle, yes, the woman
:20:30. > :20:33.there, yes? On the topic of tuition fees, I would be planning on going
:20:34. > :20:37.down to London to go to college and university and I was wondering,
:20:38. > :20:41.would I need to be international rates because if it was, I can't
:20:42. > :20:48.afford it and I can't go to college. Thank you. The man in the middle of
:20:49. > :20:54.those cluster of hands up. You pointing, yes, that is you, you're
:20:55. > :20:57.on, Sir? Ruth, you said that we'd be given for powers, yet it's members
:20:58. > :21:02.of your party such as Boris Johnson who said in the event of a no-vote
:21:03. > :21:07.we'll receive no such powers. He's not even an MP. We are absolutely
:21:08. > :21:10.commit. The Prime Minister was up yesterday, the three party leaders
:21:11. > :21:13.from the Unionist Parties. The only party that's handed powers back to
:21:14. > :21:17.Westminster has been the SNP. We used to have power over raising and
:21:18. > :21:21.lowering taxes by 3p in the pound for people like your parent who is
:21:22. > :21:23.voted in the 1999 referendum, it was the will of the Scottish people that
:21:24. > :21:28.we kept that power and the SNP handed it back. George Galloway, you
:21:29. > :21:32.are nodding in agreement with your Conservative colleague? Well, the
:21:33. > :21:37.answer to the question is that that will be a decision for the Scottish
:21:38. > :21:41.people, whether you are independent or not. Either you will be
:21:42. > :21:44.independent and you will make that decision, or you will have
:21:45. > :21:48.universities controlled by a Scottish Parliament within a British
:21:49. > :21:54.state and you'll have the power to decide to make that choice. I'm
:21:55. > :22:00.actually very concerned about the 130,000 college places for the most
:22:01. > :22:04.working class students that were cut by Nicola Sturgeon in order to pay
:22:05. > :22:10.for the three university tuition fees. But the budget that she talks
:22:11. > :22:15.about doesn't even have a currency attached to it. Oh, for...
:22:16. > :22:20.She talks about the budget, but we don't know whether that budget is
:22:21. > :22:25.going to be in euros or groats. It will be pounds, George. No, I can
:22:26. > :22:29.assure you, no. APPLAUSE.
:22:30. > :22:34.Well, you talked about the incongruity of me as a socialist
:22:35. > :22:37.earlier. How incongruous is it that the champion of Scottish Nationalism
:22:38. > :22:47.is absolutely desperate to keep the English pound? It's our pound! It's
:22:48. > :22:53.Scotland's pound. Let me finish this. Briefly, please. Let me finish
:22:54. > :22:57.the point I was making. Your currency whatever it's called is
:22:58. > :23:02.predicated on the most price unstable commodity in the world and
:23:03. > :23:07.which is fast running out. That's what she's hiding from you.
:23:08. > :23:16.By the time you are married, there won't be any oil on which to hold a
:23:17. > :23:21.currency. I want to put this to Patrick Harvie. Mr Galloway, thank
:23:22. > :23:27.you. Thank you very much. Patrick Harvie. Back to tuition fees. I may
:23:28. > :23:32.be... There was a question about tuition fees a few minutes ago and I
:23:33. > :23:36.think it really didn't get answered. The principle that you or the next
:23:37. > :23:40.generation of young people should be given a deal that says yes you can
:23:41. > :23:46.have a higher education but you are going to end up 20, 30, ?40,000 in
:23:47. > :23:49.debt or deeper by the time you get a degree. I think that is a scandal.
:23:50. > :23:53.The next principle that someone argued is that yes you can get a
:23:54. > :23:57.higher education if you can get a big business like KPMG or somebody
:23:58. > :24:00.else to sponsor your degree. That will be a scandal when that comes
:24:01. > :24:05.in. It's fantastic that Scotland so far has been able to hold out
:24:06. > :24:17.against that commodification of your education. I think it's something we
:24:18. > :24:23.need to hold back to. I want to people to vote against me if I vote
:24:24. > :24:27.for division fees -- tuition. Scotland needs control of its own
:24:28. > :24:31.finances. Our Public Services, we could make that policy commitment to
:24:32. > :24:34.invest in them, to carry on doing that. We need to control our
:24:35. > :24:36.finances as well if we are going to be able to carry through that
:24:37. > :24:43.commitment. Thank you. People are very, very keen to speak on this
:24:44. > :24:50.issue. Right to the edge there? This campaign wants independence so
:24:51. > :24:54.badly, they wish to keep the pound, it's like asking for a divorce but
:24:55. > :24:59.keeping the same bank account. The man with his hand up to the right of
:25:00. > :25:04.the three of you there. Three of you in the middle. Yes? If Scotland
:25:05. > :25:08.stays in the UK, what will its policy on immigration be? OK. Let's
:25:09. > :25:13.try to stick with division fees for the minute if that's all right --
:25:14. > :25:19.tuition fees. You, Sir, in the middle? How can you guarantee that
:25:20. > :25:22.your policy will continue if you're going to keep tuition fees if you
:25:23. > :25:26.might not even get into power if we go independent. You could guarantee
:25:27. > :25:30.that in the way that you vote. But still doesn't mean you are going to
:25:31. > :25:38.get into power and I'm going to get tuition fees. How can you use that
:25:39. > :25:41.as an argument? What I can guarantee is that without independence, any
:25:42. > :25:45.Scottish Government you vote for, Nicola's party, my party, the Labour
:25:46. > :25:49.Party, who haven't turned up tonight, any party that you vote for
:25:50. > :25:52.will be unable to control Scotland's finances so when the UK Government
:25:53. > :25:56.takes money out of the pot that comes out of the pot as well. If we
:25:57. > :26:01.want to protect Public Services, it's got to come from somewhere
:26:02. > :26:07.else. Are you convinced by that 1234 -- by that? Not really, no. Patrick
:26:08. > :26:11.is not telling you that independent experts, the Institute of Fiscal
:26:12. > :26:15.studies have said that to have independence there would be a ?6
:26:16. > :26:20.billion black hole, ?6 billion more cuts per year than there are right
:26:21. > :26:23.now. I think what Nicola hasn't told you is that, in terms of cash, the
:26:24. > :26:28.budget of Parliament's gone up in Scotland every single year. She has
:26:29. > :26:38.more than twice as much to spend as don ewar did. If politics is Blix,
:26:39. > :26:45.why has this been cut -- Donald Dewar. The Scotland Government's
:26:46. > :26:52.chose to protect the NHS in Scotland slightly less than in England. It's
:26:53. > :26:55.hard to see how this could be. Talking about Public Services, money
:26:56. > :27:00.has been coming up the road, health money. It was supposed to be spent
:27:01. > :27:05.on health. Alex Salmond said he'd spend it on health and he hasn't
:27:06. > :27:09.done it. Politics is about decision-making and she's making the
:27:10. > :27:14.wrong ones. The second row back in the blue tie? Would it not make it
:27:15. > :27:17.easier for Scotland to have more jobs if people can get better
:27:18. > :27:24.education by having free education? Thank you. One point here near the
:27:25. > :27:28.back, yes? See if Scotland does become independent, where will we be
:27:29. > :27:32.able to get the money to be able to afford to get free tuition for
:27:33. > :27:37.university? That is the nub of it isn't it? Ruth said money's been
:27:38. > :27:42.coming up from down the road. See the money that comes Fripp down the
:27:43. > :27:51.road, it first goes down the road from all of us. It's our taxes. It's
:27:52. > :27:55.consequentials. I'll come to you. Then what happens, Westminster
:27:56. > :28:00.decides how much of our own money finds its way back to Scotland and
:28:01. > :28:04.they've been cutting that in recent years in real terms. Now, Ruth
:28:05. > :28:07.earlier on pretended she didn't know the difference between a registered
:28:08. > :28:11.office and a headquarters, clearly she's now trying to pretend she
:28:12. > :28:16.doesn't know about inflation. Our money's been getting cut in real
:28:17. > :28:19.terms. You know what independence is all about and it answers the girl's
:28:20. > :28:23.question over here. We pay the same taxes as we pay right now. Instead
:28:24. > :28:28.of sending them to London for them to decide the priorities for
:28:29. > :28:33.spending them, we keep them here and we decide the priorities, the
:28:34. > :28:35.priorities like health, free education and not trident nuclear
:28:36. > :28:39.weapons. Ruth Davidson?
:28:40. > :28:47.And that's exactly what voting no thanks in the ballot paper will give
:28:48. > :28:52.you. Because the powers are coming over on tax. Nicola's being
:28:53. > :28:58.disingenuous here because she likes to say she's put health spending up
:28:59. > :29:02.every year, talking about cash terms, rather than real terms. Let's
:29:03. > :29:06.get on the same page. You have been putting up health spending less.
:29:07. > :29:12.That's what the IFS have said today. I read out the exact quotes. Why
:29:13. > :29:17.don't we let us keep our own money and setour own priorities? Because
:29:18. > :29:25.we are part of a broader union which allows us to pool and share
:29:26. > :29:31.resources. That is why public spending is ?1200 more than it is in
:29:32. > :29:36.the rest of the UK. They are talking over me so you don't hear this.
:29:37. > :29:41.Public spending in Scotland is ?1200 per head more than the rest of the
:29:42. > :29:46.UK because you pay and pool and share resources. We are not going to
:29:47. > :29:57.get anywhere if we talk over each other. Craig from West Lothian? Oil
:29:58. > :30:04.is expected to run out by 2050, so who will pay our pensions? It is
:30:05. > :30:09.going to run out quicker than that. According to Sir Ian Wood, who has
:30:10. > :30:14.made a ?1 billion fortune out of North Sea oil, regarded as one of
:30:15. > :30:18.the top North Sea oil experts in the world, there will be a sharp
:30:19. > :30:25.reduction by the year 21, and it will all be done by 2030. You can
:30:26. > :30:29.believe Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, or one of the world's top
:30:30. > :30:35.oil experts, who was forced to come into this debate because of the dis-
:30:36. > :30:38.ingenuity of the nationalist argument.
:30:39. > :30:41.I am telling you, this is moonshine, fantasy economics based on a
:30:42. > :30:45.product which has been as low as $12 a barrel in my lifetime and as high
:30:46. > :30:54.Nobody knows what it will be tomorrow, or next year,
:30:55. > :30:58.I will be dead and gone by the time it runs out.
:30:59. > :31:02.All of you will still be alive, God willing, all of you will still be
:31:03. > :31:06.alive, and that oil will be gone and all this moonshine fantasy economics
:31:07. > :31:15.Patrick Harvie. The truth is, is it not, that you would happily
:31:16. > :31:21.Well, no, I think it would be absurd,
:31:22. > :31:25.even from the deepest green point of view, to say we can't use any oil
:31:26. > :31:28.at all, or that you could shut down an industry like that overnight.
:31:29. > :31:31.But very clearly, the world has far more fossil fuels
:31:32. > :31:38.That is something every fossil fuel producing country around the world,
:31:39. > :31:41.Scotland or the UK and many others, are going to have to come to terms
:31:42. > :31:44.with, leaving a lot of it in the ground, or diverting it to
:31:45. > :31:54.My view is that you could scrap the huge tax breaks given by the
:31:55. > :31:56.UK Government to the industry for future exploration looking
:31:57. > :32:00.for new reserves we can't afford to burn, and invest instead
:32:01. > :32:06.Maximise revenue in the short term, not extraction, and make sure we
:32:07. > :32:09.invest in the renewable alternative, so it is not just owned by a bunch
:32:10. > :32:13.of multinationals, but some of it by the public sector, some of it by the
:32:14. > :32:17.community sector, so that the wealth of that incredible growing
:32:18. > :32:23.energy economy will be shared more fairly throughout our society.
:32:24. > :32:29.I will take some points and then we will come back up here.
:32:30. > :32:35.The woman with the blue tie. How can you claim we are better together
:32:36. > :32:41.when one in three children in Glasgow live in poverty?
:32:42. > :32:47.On the topic of oil and pensions, if we can stick to that.
:32:48. > :32:51.How much money will we get from this oil?
:32:52. > :32:54.How can you guarantee it is going to stay the same price?
:32:55. > :32:58.Are people going to pay the same money for it?
:32:59. > :33:03.They have clearly lied to the Scottish population
:33:04. > :33:13.The SNP predictions were about 60% off.
:33:14. > :33:16.How can we trust whatever policy the SNP are putting forward
:33:17. > :33:26.if the main source of our income has effectively been a lie?
:33:27. > :33:31.Westminster has been telling the people of Scotland that oil was
:33:32. > :33:36.about to run out since the moment oil was discovered, since
:33:37. > :33:43.They told us it was meant to have run out by now.
:33:44. > :33:46.The truth of the matter is there are billions of barrels
:33:47. > :33:52.Even taking Ian Wood's estimate of 16 billion barrels of oil, that has
:33:53. > :34:01.Yesterday, we heard one of the serious experts
:34:02. > :34:05.on oil in this country, Professor Alec Kemp, talk about the many new
:34:06. > :34:10.discoveries that are predicted over the next number of years.
:34:11. > :34:12.What we have in Scotland right now is a debate
:34:13. > :34:17.about whether we have lots of oil, or lots and lots and lots of oil.
:34:18. > :34:21.And most successful independent countries don't have any oil.
:34:22. > :34:24.There are two points I think you need to think about.
:34:25. > :34:31.One is the decision for us is how we better steward our oil reserves over
:34:32. > :34:36.the next 40, 50, 60 years and beyond, because right now as part of
:34:37. > :34:40.the UK, we are one of only two oil producing countries in the world
:34:41. > :34:43.that does not have an oil fund, does not have something to show
:34:44. > :34:49.And the final point is that oil is a bonus in our economy.
:34:50. > :34:59.Have you ever heard anybody say that because it has so much oil, Norway
:35:00. > :35:10.She did not address the point about Sir Ian Wood at all.
:35:11. > :35:13.It is not Westminster saying it is running out but industry
:35:14. > :35:19.This is important because he has been mentioned several times.
:35:20. > :35:25.Sir Ian Wood said in 2012, "My headline message for the youth
:35:26. > :35:28.of today, get involved, the North Sea oil industry will see
:35:29. > :35:35.He also said the SNP have overestimated oil budgets by 60%.
:35:36. > :35:42.BP believes the future prospects for North Sea are best served by
:35:43. > :35:46.maintaining the existing capacity and integrity of the United Kingdom.
:35:47. > :35:53.In a 650-page White Paper there is one page of white figures.
:35:54. > :35:56.Everything she wants to spend on is predicated on the oil price
:35:57. > :36:05.Since humans crawled out of the swamp, grew legs and started
:36:06. > :36:09.walking, do you know how many months oil has been over $113 per barrel?
:36:10. > :36:12.Four months in the history of humanity
:36:13. > :36:16.in the world has oil traded at that price, and that is what she is
:36:17. > :36:23.The amount we spend on welfare alone in Scotland is more than the entire
:36:24. > :36:29.The North Sea is not paying for schools or hospitals, it is
:36:30. > :36:34.Also, if you look at the entire North Sea,
:36:35. > :36:39.one more point, more money was wiped off Scottish companies on the
:36:40. > :36:43.stock market on Monday in a single day than the entire tax take from
:36:44. > :36:49.So her pretending that oil will pay for everything is nonsense, it is a
:36:50. > :36:58.There are so many people with their hands up and
:36:59. > :37:07.I can't see how anyone can trust the Westminster government's reputation
:37:08. > :37:13.First, the wealth of the oil was hidden from us,
:37:14. > :37:17.the report was hidden from us which said that we would have had oil
:37:18. > :37:20.reserves which are worth more than the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia.
:37:21. > :37:23.Instead, it was squandered and spent on Westminster privatisation
:37:24. > :37:30.That is a UK Government report from the 1970s.
:37:31. > :37:36.Yes Scotland are constantly comparing Scotland to Scandinavian
:37:37. > :37:39.countries but they fail to take into account that Scandinavian
:37:40. > :37:46.How is Scotland ever going to be able to pay that much tax
:37:47. > :37:50.when there are so many people living on the breadline?
:37:51. > :37:57.Is the SNP thinking in the long term about using oil
:37:58. > :38:03.As we know, the time that the oil is going to
:38:04. > :38:09.We are taking it out and the world is using more and more, so is it
:38:10. > :38:16.There are so many hands up in the back and I cannot see all of you.
:38:17. > :38:19.Whoever shouts loudest can ask the question.
:38:20. > :38:22.Ruth Davidson spoke about extra powers for Scotland.
:38:23. > :38:25.Why was devo max taken off the ballot paper?
:38:26. > :38:36.When I went in to negotiate the agreement, the Secretary of
:38:37. > :38:39.State for Scotland said more powers on the ballot paper was a red line.
:38:40. > :38:42.Your party thought you could not get a yes vote
:38:43. > :38:50.The question was, who prevented more powers being on the ballot paper?
:38:51. > :38:53.The answer to the question is the Westminster government.
:38:54. > :38:57.That is why you can't trust them to deliver more powers now.
:38:58. > :38:59.We have already delivered more powers.
:39:00. > :39:03.You sat in the chamber and voted for more powers for Scotland.
:39:04. > :39:08.Don't tell us that we don't fulfil our promises, because we did.
:39:09. > :39:12.It is no longer acceptable for Scotland to accept crumbs
:39:13. > :39:17.This is time to take control of our own future.
:39:18. > :39:26.George Galloway, would you like to have a word?
:39:27. > :39:30.Any chance of getting a word in here.
:39:31. > :39:33.The young woman who said one in three children
:39:34. > :39:37.in Glasgow were living in poverty, there are children living
:39:38. > :39:43.And I'm not prepared to slam the door, to get onto
:39:44. > :39:50.I'm as concerned about food banks in Birmingham or Bradford or
:39:51. > :39:54.Newcastle or Liverpool, as I am about them in Glasgow.
:39:55. > :39:59.And the equanimity with which Scottish Nationalists are
:40:00. > :40:03.ready to leave them behind, to the tender mercies of a Tory
:40:04. > :40:09.government in perpetuity, is quite stunning, in my view.
:40:10. > :40:13.I wouldn't like you to misrepresent Sir Ian Wood.
:40:14. > :40:17.Sir Ian Wood said there would be a sharp reduction in North Sea oil
:40:18. > :40:23.production in 21 years and that it would be finished in 30 years.
:40:24. > :40:26.Now, that is my lifetime, but I am not here arguing for
:40:27. > :40:33.my lifetime, but for their lifetime and the lifetime of their children.
:40:34. > :40:40.And finally, extra powers may not be on the ballot paper,
:40:41. > :40:47.There is a super devo, never mind a devo max.
:40:48. > :40:50.There is super devo on the table now.
:40:51. > :40:59.You would be crazy to turn it down and opt instead for divorce.
:41:00. > :41:02.Listen, I have been divorced, more than once, actually.
:41:03. > :41:10.Divorce is a nasty, acrimonious and very damaging business.
:41:11. > :41:14.And it is especially damaging for the children.
:41:15. > :41:17.And you don't get divorced, or shouldn't get divorced,
:41:18. > :41:21.unless there is absolutely no other alternative to doing so.
:41:22. > :41:23.So I am saying you are better together.
:41:24. > :41:31.I would like to hear what you have to say on this.
:41:32. > :41:34.You can tweet about the programme using the hashtag #bigbigdebate,
:41:35. > :41:46.The next question from Abi in Clackmannanshire.
:41:47. > :41:50.If we stay in the UK, will privatisation of parts
:41:51. > :41:56.Will NHS privatisation be inevitable if Scotland stays in the UK,
:41:57. > :42:04.Much like the debate on higher education, what we have to recognise
:42:05. > :42:07.is that there is a difference between being able to control policy
:42:08. > :42:12.on something like the NHS and being able to control Scotland's finances.
:42:13. > :42:17.At the moment, the UK Government is dead set on breaking up and
:42:18. > :42:21.privatising the structure itself of the NHS, not just buying in services
:42:22. > :42:25.to fill the gaps as has happened for a long time, a very long time.
:42:26. > :42:29.Even GPs are not part of the publicly owned NHS.
:42:30. > :42:33.But they are privatising the very structure of it.
:42:34. > :42:36.Now, if that leads in the longer term to
:42:37. > :42:41.more introduction of fees and charges, if it leads to a decline in
:42:42. > :42:46.the public resources going in, that will impact on the Scottish budget.
:42:47. > :42:51.If, as well, it impacts, results in this nasty, competitive,
:42:52. > :42:56.profit driven motive, which degrades the quality of care that people are
:42:57. > :43:00.getting, there is a danger that that could be locked in at EU level.
:43:01. > :43:04.There is a trade deal being negotiated between the EU and the US
:43:05. > :43:08.which could lock in that profit driven model.
:43:09. > :43:12.So Scotland needs control of its finances and it needs its own voice
:43:13. > :43:16.at European level if we are going to resist both pressure on our budget
:43:17. > :43:20.for services like the NHS, and the privatisation by stealth, the
:43:21. > :43:24.marketisation, handing over of a public good, a public service,
:43:25. > :43:32.I want to ask this man what he thinks.
:43:33. > :43:35.We already have a free NHS, free education.
:43:36. > :43:39.So why risk everything and change it when we already have
:43:40. > :43:52.How can you talk about trust when the yes campaign's tactic has
:43:53. > :43:55.been about lies, misinformation and scare tactics?
:43:56. > :44:00.How can you talk about trust when your campaign is not based on trust?
:44:01. > :44:06.Lots of their campaign ads have been lies and scare tactics to
:44:07. > :44:20.Over the past few years, the Scottish Government has had
:44:21. > :44:23.its budget cut in real terms by about 7%.
:44:24. > :44:26.It is already having to make savings.
:44:27. > :44:29.If we vote no, that will be ?4 billion taken away
:44:30. > :44:34.That money will have to come from health care, policing, schools.
:44:35. > :44:39.Unless we vote for independence, we will have to do whatever the
:44:40. > :44:52.The guy said earlier on that we already have free tuition, but it is
:44:53. > :44:56.It is whether we should settle for that.
:44:57. > :44:59.We should do better for our country, not take for granted what we have
:45:00. > :45:19.Listen, we would never have had a National Health Service, never have
:45:20. > :45:25.had one if it wasn't for two things; a Labour Government in 1945 and a
:45:26. > :45:30.country big enough to make a big enough pot to share resources across
:45:31. > :45:37.the country in order to have health carefree at the point of need.
:45:38. > :45:42.Secondly; the National Health Service is an entirely devolved
:45:43. > :45:47.matter. It could only be privatised if people were foolish enough to
:45:48. > :45:52.elect a Scottish Government that was ready to privatise it. And thirdly,
:45:53. > :45:57.as Ruth Davidson candidly, though probably unwisely conceded, just the
:45:58. > :46:04.other day, the Tories will be out in the spring. The privatisation agenda
:46:05. > :46:09.will be dead in the spring. A Labour Government, like the one that
:46:10. > :46:15.created the NHS in the first place will be here next May, not in five
:46:16. > :46:19.years, but in May. Now, you... Are you supporting a Labour Government?
:46:20. > :46:24.Now Labour has turned up tonight. I'm speaking for real Labour, real
:46:25. > :46:29.Labour values which are shared by millions of people across the
:46:30. > :46:33.country. The woman with the glasses and blue blazer and tie? The
:46:34. > :46:37.Conservative Government might be dead in the spring but we got told
:46:38. > :46:40.that last time with Thatcher each's Conservative Government, it will
:46:41. > :46:43.come again and we'll be under this pressure yet again -- Margaret
:46:44. > :46:54.Thatcher. And the woman on the edge here? We give our taxes to England,
:46:55. > :46:59.but we get more back so how are we going to afford all this NHS and
:47:00. > :47:03.private education if we are getting less money as an independent
:47:04. > :47:09.Scotland when, as we are within the UK, we get more money back? Scotland
:47:10. > :47:14.get a higher share of public spending that the UK average does...
:47:15. > :47:19.Ruth quoted a figure earlier on, saying public spending per public
:47:20. > :47:24.head in Scotland was ?1200 a head higher, she's right about that. One
:47:25. > :47:27.in five of our population lives in a rural community. What she didn't say
:47:28. > :47:34.is that in the year she quotes that figure from, the tax we generated
:47:35. > :47:41.per Head of Population was ?1700 higher. We are not subsidised, we do
:47:42. > :47:46.not get back more than we pay in. Don't ever let anyone tell you that
:47:47. > :47:50.is true. What's important on that point, that point might be slightly
:47:51. > :47:55.misleading to some people because we are not, we do not have enough
:47:56. > :47:59.money. We are subsidised by debt. Well Scotland as an independent
:48:00. > :48:05.country would be in deficit, the UK is in deficit to the tune of ?100
:48:06. > :48:09.billion. There would be very few independent countries in the world
:48:10. > :48:12.right now. A deficit is a reason to be independent, to get your hands on
:48:13. > :48:17.the levers of economic powers so grow your economy and increase the
:48:18. > :48:21.wealth you have as a country. Can I come back to the NHS? Something I,
:48:22. > :48:25.like so many people care about deeply, George said there's a Labour
:48:26. > :48:33.Government coming next spring. How many times has Scotland voted Labour
:48:34. > :48:36.only to end up with the Tories? Why should we...
:48:37. > :48:42.APPLAUSE Have to cross our fingers and hope
:48:43. > :48:46.for a Labour Government when we can vote yes and guarantee that we
:48:47. > :48:51.always get the Governments we vote for? And on the NHS, I used to be
:48:52. > :48:56.responsible for the Health Service in Scotland. I know how hard it is
:48:57. > :49:00.to protect the budget of the Health Service when our overall budget is
:49:01. > :49:05.being reduced by Westminster. I will fight with every breath in my body
:49:06. > :49:09.to keep the National Health Service in public hands but we are going to
:49:10. > :49:14.be more able to do that when we have control of our own budgets so that
:49:15. > :49:19.we set our own priorities. That is the benefit of independence.
:49:20. > :49:23.I'm glad that Nicola's finally admitted that she has been in charge
:49:24. > :49:26.of the Health Service, in charge of where money goes, that she was in
:49:27. > :49:30.charge of the amount of private suppliers to the National Health
:49:31. > :49:33.Service in Scotland, she was in charge but she's still not answered
:49:34. > :49:39.the quote from the Institute of Fiscal studies who run the numbers
:49:40. > :49:41.who said that health spending and consequentials got sent up to
:49:42. > :49:47.Scotland and weren't spent on health. "The Scottish Government's
:49:48. > :49:51.chosen to protect the NHS in Scotland less than it's been
:49:52. > :49:55.protected in England". That is the Institute of Fiscal studies that run
:49:56. > :49:58.the numbers. Health money got sent up, you promised it would be spent
:49:59. > :50:01.on health, it hasn't been. Scottish NHS is getting a bad deal from the
:50:02. > :50:12.SNP. You are not listening to this and we
:50:13. > :50:18.are running out of time. Mr Harvie? I mean, the reality is that, you
:50:19. > :50:20.know, even according to some of the no-side, everybody has agreed that
:50:21. > :50:25.Scotland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I'm frankly
:50:26. > :50:30.bored of the debate about whether we are a tiny bit richer or poorer on
:50:31. > :50:34.average, because on average is not most people's experience, on average
:50:35. > :50:40.in a chronically unequal society means very little because so much of
:50:41. > :50:43.the wealth of our society is not funding Public Services or building
:50:44. > :50:47.a better environment, is not investing in the jobs you will need
:50:48. > :50:51.as you go to school and into the rest of the world. So much of our
:50:52. > :50:55.wealth and economy which should be democratically accountable is being
:50:56. > :50:59.hoarded by the wealthiest. If we were not a fraction richer but a
:51:00. > :51:04.great deal fairer, that would be tremendously to the benefit of the
:51:05. > :51:08.vast majority of ordinary people, the ability to invest in the common
:51:09. > :51:13.experience, in the blocked good, rather than in the wealth of those
:51:14. > :51:18.who horder the wealth away in tax havens or elsewhere. Thank you very
:51:19. > :51:21.much. If you all promise to give a short answer, we'll take one more
:51:22. > :51:31.question. This is the deal, you have to subscribe to this deal and we'll
:51:32. > :51:37.go to Isla for the final question. I'm currently undecided on which way
:51:38. > :51:40.to vote on 18th September. Which succinct statement would the
:51:41. > :51:44.campaigns like to make to help me decide on which decision. Who would
:51:45. > :51:48.you like to go to sfirs? The yes campaign. Voting yes puts control of
:51:49. > :51:52.the future of our country into our own hands. It's not a magic wand.
:51:53. > :51:56.We'll have challenges, ups and downs, but we'll have control of our
:51:57. > :52:00.own resources and we'll make the decisions that shape the kind of
:52:01. > :52:03.country we are. That's what all independent countries do, it's what
:52:04. > :52:10.Scotland should do as well. Thank you. That was succinct, let's try
:52:11. > :52:16.and stick to that. Ruth Davidson? At the moment, we are all proud to be
:52:17. > :52:20.Scottish. We have huge control over our health, our education, our
:52:21. > :52:23.policing. But we stand together with other people too, we stand with our
:52:24. > :52:28.friend in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are the most
:52:29. > :52:32.professional armed services in the world -- we have. I don't want to
:52:33. > :52:37.see that ripped apart, we are part of a ?63 million market. Let's not
:52:38. > :52:40.turn our biggest customer into our biggest competitor overnight. We can
:52:41. > :52:46.be a better country without being separate. Let's pull together to
:52:47. > :52:52.make that better country. Gist a sentence, Patrick Harvie? You heard
:52:53. > :52:57.a lot about the bonds of friendship and family throughout these islands.
:52:58. > :53:01.I feel those bonds as well. I feel the solidarity across these islands
:53:02. > :53:05.as well. Part of my family, half my family comes from England, I studied
:53:06. > :53:08.many Manchester, I feel the bonds of friendship and family. If I thought
:53:09. > :53:12.independence was about breaking the bonds, I would be voting no. I think
:53:13. > :53:16.this is not just about the ability to take responsibility for building
:53:17. > :53:20.a better Scotland, but as many of my colleagues and friends south of the
:53:21. > :53:23.border believe, it could spark the kind of democratic renewal that the
:53:24. > :53:29.rest of the islands have been waiting for a long time for as well.
:53:30. > :53:31.Demonstrating by our actions, a better, better, fairer, greener
:53:32. > :53:38.society is possible. Let's take the chance and start building it.
:53:39. > :53:44.Thank you. George Galloway? How could you not break bonds by making
:53:45. > :53:50.other people foreigners, people who 're citizens of the same country as
:53:51. > :53:55.us now? How could you not break bonds by breaking up a country of
:53:56. > :54:00.English-speaking people, a Small Island, which has been together for
:54:01. > :54:07.300 years, which has done many great things, some bad things, the
:54:08. > :54:13.greatest of which in the last Battle of Britain was when united we stood
:54:14. > :54:19.alone against Hitler's fascism. George Galloway, we'll have to
:54:20. > :54:24.finish it here. Well, you can jeer, but ask your grandparents how
:54:25. > :54:31.important it was that, as a united people, we stood alone in the world
:54:32. > :54:34.otherwise we'd be having this conversation in German.
:54:35. > :54:39.Thank you very much, George Galloway. Thank you so much everyone
:54:40. > :54:43.here. I'm afraid, believe it or not, we have already run out of time. My
:54:44. > :54:48.sincere thanks to the panel and to our very special audience who've
:54:49. > :54:51.come to the SSE Hydrofrom schools all over Scotland, often in these
:54:52. > :54:55.sorts of debates the politicians get the final say in the form of closing
:54:56. > :54:59.speeches, but tonight, we have decided to give Scotland's young
:55:00. > :55:12.voters the last word. From Glasgow, good night.
:55:13. > :55:17.Let none wake despondent: one way or another we have talked
:55:18. > :55:21.plainly, tested ourselves, weighed up the sum of our knowing, ta'en
:55:22. > :55:26.tent o scholars, checked the balance sheet of risk and fearlessness,
:55:27. > :55:36.of wisdom and of folly. Was it about the powers we
:55:37. > :55:39.gain or how we use them? We aim for more equality; and
:55:40. > :55:45.for tomorrow to be more peaceful than today; for fairness,
:55:46. > :55:57.opportunity, the common weal; a hand stretched out in ready hospitality.
:55:58. > :56:05.It's those unseen things that bind us, not flag or
:56:06. > :56:08.battle-weary turf or tartan. There are dragons to
:56:09. > :56:13.slay whatever happens: poverty, false pride, snobbery,
:56:14. > :56:14.sectarian schisms still hovering. But there's nothing broken
:56:15. > :56:30.that's not repairable. We're a citizenry of bonnie
:56:31. > :56:35.fighters, a gathered folk; a culture that imparts, inspires, demands
:56:36. > :56:41.a rare devotion, no back-tracking; that each should work and play
:56:42. > :57:32.our several parts to bring about the best in Scotland, an open heart
:57:33. > :57:34.As the eyes of the world focus on Scotland,
:57:35. > :57:37.we wait to discover the future of the United Kingdom.
:57:38. > :57:41.Will Scotland vote to become an independent country or stay
:57:42. > :57:46.part of the Union, and what could this historic night mean for you?