Westminster Leaders Pledge 'No' Vote Powers

By Niall Paterson, News Correspondent

A promise of more powers for Scotland if it rejects independence has been signed by the leaders of the three main parties at Westminster.

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg have put their names to a letter which appears on the front page of the Daily Record newspaper.

It promises "extensive new powers" for the Scottish Parliament "delivered by the process and to the timetable agreed" by the three parties.

All three Westminster party leaders are urging a No vote in the referendum

But independence campaigners argue a Yes vote in Thursday's referendum is the only way to guarantee Scotland gets the powers it needs.

In the letter, the party leaders say they agree that "the UK exists to ensure opportunity and security for all by sharing our resources equitably across all four nations".

The joint letter also states: "And because of the continuation of the Barnett allocation for resources and the powers of the Scottish Parliament to raise revenue, we can state categorically that the final say on how much is spent on the NHS will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament."

A spokesman for Yes Scotland said: "It's clear that project panic is willing to say anything in the last few days of the campaign to try to halt the Yes momentum - anything except what new powers, if any, they might be willing to offer.

"The reality is that the only way to guarantee Scotland gets all the powers we need to create jobs and protect our NHS is with a Yes vote on Thursday - so that we can use our enormous wealth to create a better and fairer country."

With the referendum just days away, the polls suggest the crucial vote will go to the wire.

Little wonder then that as the campaign enters its tightly balanced and ferociously fought endgame, passion has occasionally turned to anger.

Both sides now accuse the other of intimidation - Yes crying foul and accusing Downing Street of an orchestrated campaign of fear; Better Together claiming that their campaigners and supporters are routinely shouted down, bullied and abused.

The party leaders' pledge appeared on the front of the Daily Record

No doubt in every town across Scotland reasoned debate has on occasion morphed into ill-tempered shouting match.

Yet both sides now recognise the need, after the vote, to move forward as one nation, independent or otherwise.

Leader of the Better Together campaign, Alistair Darling, told Sky News: "Whatever the result, it's up to everyone whether you're a politician or whether you're not to make sure that as a country we work together because that's in all our interests."

In truth, there is little that has happened which hasn't happened in every election since time immemorial.

Online, the invective is certainly brutal.

Keyboard warriors feel free to deploy some pretty hideous insults in support of their argument.

Yet that was as true during the 2005 election, when the blogosphere was a key part of the electoral narrative.

And it is certainly the case that politicians being heckled and, yes, abused in pretty unparliamentary language, is nothing new.

Alex Salmond argues only a Yes vote can deliver the powers Scotland needs

Still, the heckling does seem to be largely directed at Better Together.

And online, again the weight of less-than-constructive criticism does seem to be borne by those on the No side.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "Nobody should be intimidating, nobody should feel intimidated.

"I really strongly believe that based on my own experiences on the campaign trail that we're engaged in something really spectacular in Scotland right now."

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