Independence Referendum Date Announced

The announcement that the Independence Referendum will take place in Autumn 2014 has been greeted warmly by Dunfermline SNP MSP Bill Walker.

He said: “This will be the most important decision to affect Scotland in 300 years, and I urge the people of Dunfermline not to miss the opportunity to express their hopes and aspirations for the future through the ballot box, whatever those aspirations may be. 

“It is right that the people of Scotland are being given this chance to democratically make their decision.

“It is also right that the Scottish Government, overwhelmingly elected in May, should decide when the Referendum takes place. The overwhelmingly rejected UK Coalition has no moral mandate to impose terms, yet is still seeking to interfere.

“The people of Scotland have given the Scottish Government consent to run a Referendum, and the anti-independence parties should have the grace to accept this.”

First Minister Alex Salmond, in a BBC interview, also stated that Westminster should “resist the temptation” to interfere in Scottish politics.

Mr Salmond said: “I can understand that perhaps they have not thought about these things but they must resist the temptation to try and interfere in Scottish democracy.

He explained that the reason for the 2014 date was “because this is the biggest decision Scotland has made for 300 years.

“If you are going to do things properly, allow the proper process to take place, that debate in the way that it must be had, then that is the date we are going to move towards.”

He added: “Let the common sense, the good judgment of the Scottish Parliament and above all the view of the Scottish people prevail at the end of the day.”