Yes claim victory in second indy debate

Yes Rutherglen have claimed victory in the latest televised debate between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling.

The pair clashed on the BBC on Monday night, with Salmond widely being credited with victory.

A snap poll immediately after the bruising encounter called the debate 71 to 29 in the First Minister’s favour.

It means both men are judged to have enjoyed victories in the two debates so far.

However, many voters were again left angry at the lack of clarity and confrontational nature of the debate, which again focussed on currency and the possibility of additional powers for a devolved Scottish Parliament.

Other topics on the agenda were the future of Trident, oil revenues, welfare and the NHS.

Rutherglen Central and North Councillor, Gordon Clark, said although he thought the SNP leader won the debate, the decision at the ballot box was not about Alex Salmond.

He said:“I think the debate could have been better controlled overall, but Mr Salmond got his main points across about the pound.

“After independence, we will be using the pound, it’s as simple as that. Mr Darling actually made that wee slip that we could use the pound.

“But this is not about Alex Salmond or Alistair Darling, or about political parties or Scotland v England. It’s about who is best places to make decisions for the people of Scotland and I believe that is the people of Scotland.

“Out of our canvassing squad of 30, 22 have never been involved in a political campaign. This is a grassroots campaign.”

However, Councillor Richard Tullett of Better Together, said Salmond had still not made his position on currency clear: “The debate again highlighted the fact that Alex Salmond either cannot or will not answer the basic question about what currency he wants Scotland to use if there is a yes vote.

“Just using the pound without a central bank acting as a lender of last resort poses a massive risk.

“Given that he struggled to answer this question in the first debate I was very surprised that he hadn’t used the last three weeks to sort out his position. Voters will start casting their votes in the next week or so and for this question not to be answered means Scotland is being asked to take an enormous risk.”

Meanwhile, unregistered voters have just a few days left to make sure they get their voice heard on September 18.

Everyone must be registered on the electoral roll by Tuesday, September 2 if they want to vote.

The South Lanarkshire count will again take place at the John Wright Sports Centre in East Kilbride.