Voters need the facts, not SNP bluster

YOU don’t have to like it, or the man that delivered it, but the message from George Osborne last week was clear.

“If Scotland walks away from the UK, it walks away from the UK pound,” he said.

Since then the Yes campaign and the SNP have accused Westminster of bluff, bluster and bullying and Alex Salmond has promised to “deconstruct” Osborne’s position tomorrow.

The people of Scotland cannot be expected to make a momentous decision on independence based on insults and assertions from either side. They deserve facts. This is a defining moment in the referendum campaign.

The First Minister surely isn’t foolish enough to think a “point-by-point” critique of the Chancellor’s speech will ease concerns?

He must know that what’s really needed is for the SNP to articulate their Plan B.

They must have thought about this. After all, when the Euro went down the pan they were swift enough to switch to sterling as their preferred currency.

If they need to do a U-turn — not necessarily through any fault with the policy but in the face of Westminster intransigence — then they must do so in a grown up way and get on with it.

Voters can’t go to the polls on September 18 unsure what is going to happen to the pound in their pocket the next day.