Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond overwhelmed a nervy Alistair Darling in the final on air debate ahead of the Scottish independence referendum next month.
In contrast to the previous clash, Salmond took the lead early on by interrupting Darling on his comments on the volatility of North Sea oil.
However, the SNP leader still failed to offer a Plan B for Scotland’s currency after a ‘Yes’ vote for independence. He continued to claim that a mandate from the Scottish people after the referendum would mean that there would be a currency union with rUK despite all Westminster parties agreeing that such a deal would not be offered.
Salmond said that he offered three plan Bs, but refused to say which one he preferred and made much of the possibility for a Panama-style setup where Scotland could continue to use the pound but without currency union and without any control over the Bank of England and interest rates.
He added that unless there was a currency union then Scotland would not agree to take its share of the UK debt.
A snap poll by The Guardian newspaper and polling company ICM immediately following the debate suggested Salmond’s score was 71%, against Mr Darling’s 29%.
