London: "Do you agree that Scotland should
be an independent country?" That is the question people in
Scotland will be asked during a landmark referendum in 2014 on
Scotland's independence from the United Kingdom.
The question was today announced byScotland's First
Minister, Alex Salmond.
Salmond, who is the leader of the pro-independence
Scottish National Party (SNP), said the question was "short,
straightforward and clear".
Scotland currently has its own parliament called
Holyrood, which has several powers independent of Westminster.
Launching a public consultation today, Salmond said
the Electoral Commission had been appointed to regulate the
referendum. He said the decision would be the most important
made by the people of Scotland in 300 years.
Ministers in the David Cameron government have clashed
with the Scottish government over who has the legal power to
hold the referendum.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 00:56