With exactly six weeks to go to the referendum, the Yes campaign today launched a new poster to stress the theme of ‘One Opportunity’ to make the wealth of Scotland work for all the people who live and work here.
The pro-independence campaign described the referendum as a “precious opportunity to achieve the powers Scotland needs to be a more prosperous economy and fairer society” – an opportunity they believe “the people of Scotland will not pass up.”
Unveiling the new poster at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, Deputy First Minister and Yes Scotland Advisory Board member Nicola Sturgeon said:
“Scotland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world – richer per head, than Japan, France and the UK as a whole.
“In the STV debate, the First Minister skewered Alistair Darling on David Cameron’s acceptance that Scotland has got what it takes to be a successful independent country.
“The people of Scotland know that – even if Mr Darling could barely admit it – which is one reason why support for Yes increased to 47 per cent over the course of the debate.
“Scotland has a strong and varied economy, with multi-billion pound industries in food and drink, tourism, the creative sector, life sciences, more top universities than any other country in the world, a quarter of Europe’s offshore wind potential, and 60 per cent of the Europe’s oil reserves. We’ve generated more tax per head than the UK for every one of the last 33 years.
“But under the Westminster system, it doesn’t feel that way for far too many people – and that is why a Yes vote is so important. An independent Scotland is our one opportunity to achieve the powers to ensure that the wealth of Scotland benefits everyone – in stark contrast to the situation under Westminster where 22,000 children depend on food banks for the necessities of life.
“That is completely unacceptable in a wealthy country like Scotland – and a Yes vote is our one opportunity to change it, and to build a fairer society and more prosperous economy for all.”
Chairman of the Yes Scotland Advisory Board Dennis Canavan said:
“We cannot guarantee that we will get this wonderful opportunity again for Scotland to advance democratically, economically and socially – and we must seize it with both hands on 18 September.
“With control of Scotland’s budget, we have the opportunity to decide our own priorities for Scotland’s wealth – we won’t be spending £600 million on Westminster priorities like Trident nuclear weapons and the undemocratic House of Lords. Instead, we can help young families by expanding free childcare, making it easier for parents to go out to work.
“The only way we can translate the priorities of Scotland’s people into action is to achieve control of our own resources by voting Yes.”