Scotland’s long debate over whether it should become independent has proven to be a bonanza for printers of bumper stickers, posters, balloons and even umbrellas.
The words “yes” and “no” can be found emblazoned across the nation on everything from street lights to shopping bags. Posters proclaiming: “Proud to be Scots. Delighted to be United” and “Yes to a better, fairer Scotland” adorn homes on the same street.
Today is showdown time, as Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who is spearheading the “Yes” campaign, and Labour Party MP Alistair Darling, leader of the “No” campaign, are to face off in their last televised debate before the Sept. 18 referendum.
Both sides claimed victory when the two clashed on Aug. 4, with interest from outside Scotland so high it caused the Internet platform streaming the event to crash. This time, the 90-minute debate will be shown on the BBC across the UK and on C-SPAN in the US.
At stake is the support of thousands of voters who, despite a two-year-long campaign, have yet to make up their minds.
All over Scotland, activists have held thousands of town hall meetings, coffee mornings in private homes and passionate discussions in pubs, clubs and town squares.
People who have never been involved in politics before have created a grassroots debate about a vote that could affect everything from the economy, passports, currency and military, to Scotland’s national pride and its role in the EU and other international organizations.
School halls have held question-and-answer sessions for students, reflecting the fact that, for the first time in the UK, 16 and 17-year-olds are being given the right to vote.
On the pro-independence side stand more than 350 independent groups. Not one is centrally controlled, organized or funded.
The “No” campaign, which claims the support of the silent majority, has brought together a wide range of unionists, from Labour and Conservative Party members, to socialists and members of the right-wing UK Independence Party.
Opinion polls suggest voters are narrowly divided on whether to break up Scotland’s 307-year-old union with England or remain alongside the English, Welsh and Northern Irish inside the UK.
In opinion polls, the anti-independence side has held a consistent lead, but up to 1 million undecided voters hold the balance. Turnout is expected to be high, possibly topping 80 percent, which would be the highest-ever figure in Scotland.
A member of Scots Asians for Yes, Nighet Nasim Riaz said people are hoping to see the debaters maintain their civility.
“The last televised debate between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling was not what people wanted to see: two middle-aged men having digs at each other,’’ she said.
Yet with a positive mood on the streets, both sides hope the debate can win over wavering voters.
“Whatever the outcome, something fundamental has changed in the way people are now becoming engaged and taking an interest in politics,” Riaz said.
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