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Scottish referendum 'not like a normal election'

2014-09-15T09:22:05+00:00

Yes or no, which are you? That's the only question in Scotland at the moment. I get asked it a lot myself when I interview referendum campaigners from both sides. I was even asked it by our own Richard Bacon.

When it happens, I make like Zippy - the kids' tv character who has a zip instead of a mouth. Honestly I'm glad my job demands strict neutrality. This story of high passion combined with huge historic significance couldn't be done any other way.

My moment of the week was standing between Yes and No campaigners on Buchanan Street in Glasgow. I turned my microphone one way and it picked up the chant "Scotland says no". I turned it the other and it was "Scotland says yes". There could be no clearer indication that right now this is a divided country.

Later that day I was with Yes campaigners in the Dennistoun area of Glasgow. There was much excitement in their office as they got ready to unveil a new secret weapon - an ice-cream van done up with Yes logos. It'll tour the streets of this working-class area of the city, blasting out all the familiar jingles, combined with loudspeaker messages encouraging people to get out and vote yes. Sadly no double 99s will be on offer, but no doubt some people will be as delighted to see it as a real ice-cream van. Others not so much.

Of course the big question is, who will win? But there is a second one, almost as important: what happens to all those people, it might be close to half the population, who wake up to a future they didn't vote for? Because this is not like a normal election. There won't be another go at it in five years. I put that to the veteran independence campaigner, Jim Sillars. He told me if it was a yes, by next summer it'd be hard to find anyone who'd admit to having voted no. If it goes the other way, those who've always favoured independence will still be here. Whether their organisation will remain a mass movement, that's another question.

But as I look forward to the big night and the morning after - possibly the biggest reporting challenge of my career - I suspect that the Scotland I've got to know since I moved here in 1990 will never be quite the same again. And that'll be true whether it's a no or a yes.

Follow coverage of the Scottish independence referendum on 5 live.

Scottish independence referendum: Five questions in five days

2013-11-18T10:20:42+00:00

5 live's James Shaw reports from across Scotland on the key issues in the referendum debate.

At the end of this month, the Scottish Government will launch its white paper on independence. It promises to be the fullest statement yet of what the SNP think independence should look like and how they plan to get there. In the week before its launch I’ll take a detailed look at some of the key policy areas likely to be covered in the white paper.

Call me a political geek if you like, I don’t mind. But I have to admit I’m really looking forward to a road trip lasting five days in which we will ask and try to answer five key questions about Scottish independence.

Five questions, five days, 5 live.

Partly because it will take me all over the country, from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, Faslane to Coldstream, and finally St Andrews, but mostly because we’ll be feeling our way towards answers which are really important not just for Scotland but for the whole of the United Kingdom and anyone who cares about the future of this little collection of islands off the north coast of Europe where we all live.

Take for example the currency question. The SNP, who are campaigning for independence, think that if Scotland does split from the rest of the UK, it should keep the pound. They think that’s the best way to promote economic stability and protect existing business relations. It is a central part of their offer to voters, but it also matters enormously to people living south of the border. Could one country with its own tax and spending priorities have a say in the management of another country’s currency, when that second country might be pursuing quite different policies?

Then there’s defence. The SNP want to get rid of Trident, Britain’s fleet of nuclear-armed submarines based at Faslane. If that happened, where would they go? On the other hand, one of this month’s big news stories was a decision to end shipbuilding in Portsmouth and focus everything on the Clyde. Should that decision be reversed if Scotland voted yes?

These are big and really difficult questions, but the kind of questions we should all be thinking about as the possibility of Scottish independence gets closer.

That’s the thing about the independence debate, people in the rest of the UK might be inclined to think it doesn’t matter to them. The fact that people in Scotland get to make a choice, whereas they don’t, is likely to increase that lack of interest. But it really does matter. Whether you’re in favour or not, it would make a difference to your life.

So that’s why I’m feeling a little bit fired up. This week is a chance to explain what this story is about and why we should all be sitting up and taking notice.

So our five questions are:

Would an independent Scotland keep the pound?

What would independence mean for Scotland’s prosperity?

How would an independent Scotland defend itself?

What would independence mean for Scotland’s relationship with Europe?

What would independence mean for Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the UK?

Through the week as I travel from coast to coast and from north to south, I’ll be gathering ordinary people’s views on these five questions, and we’ll also be talking to a range of experts in each of the topic areas, who we’re hoping will be able to deliver clear and impartial analysis.

At the end we’ll pull it all together for a feature-length programme on Sunday. Of course we won’t be delivering five clear-cut answers at the end of it all, but if we can help people arrive at their own answers, for me that will be job done.

James Shaw will be reporting from across Scotland for 5 live Drive from Monday 18 to Friday 22 November.

Victoria Derbyshire's Scottish independence debate

2013-09-10T08:02:49+00:00

In a year’s time people living in Scotland will cast their vote in a referendum that could change the future of the UK. They'll be asked "Should Scotland be an independent country?" and that's what we'll be debating on Monday 16 September at 10am in our largest ever Victoria Derbyshire audience debate.

More on that to come, but first some facts.

Yes Scotland is the official campaign for independence, while Better Together is the group arguing to keep the Union. The Scottish National Party (SNP), Scottish Greens and independent MSP Margo MacDonald back independence, while Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are opposed.

The vote will take place on Thursday 18th September 2014. Everyone over the age of 16 who lives in Scotland will get to vote, but registered Scots who live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland won't get a vote. Non-Scots who're registered to vote in Scotland will get a say.

The question "Should Scotland be an independent country?" came about after protracted negotiations. The Scottish government's original version of the question, "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?", was dropped after the Electoral Commission raised concerns it could lead people into voting "Yes".

In the events of a “Yes” vote, Alex Salmond the leader of the SNP wants to declare Independence Day in March 2016, with the first elections to an independent parliament in May. However, before that happens though a constitutional settlement would need to be agreed with the UK government, involving weighty issues which may take a long time to resolve. The independence referendum has been described as a once-in-a-generation event, so a “No” vote would put the issue to bed for the time being.

On Monday 16th September at 10am Victoria Derbyshire will be debating the key issues. We’ll be joined by leading members of the Yes Scotland campaign, the Better Together group and around 300 5 live listeners from right across the UK.

Opinion polls show a large number of people are yet to make up their minds on how they'll vote, so during the programme we'll ask our studio audience to vote twice. Once at the beginning of the programme and once again after they've heard the debate. As well as the main question, we’ll be asking what the rest of the UK would be called if Scotland does vote for independence, what would happen to the monarchy and if Scotland would keep Sterling as a currency.

The economy will also dominate the debate. The Yes campaign says Scotland generates more money for the UK economy than is handed back by Westminster and that after independence that cash can be spent where it's really needed. The No campaign says Scotland's economy benefits from the security of being part of one of the world's biggest economies, from bank bail outs to green energy subsidies, and so cutting ties built up over 300 years would leave Scotland dangerously exposed in a volatile world.

The debate will be filmed and broadcast on the 5 live website, BBC News Channel, Red Button and the BBC News website from 10am on Monday 16 September. It will also be broadcast again on 5 live on Sunday 22nd September at 8.30pm.

To join in the debate you can call 0500 909 693, text 85058 or use the hashtag #5livedebate.

Follow us on Twitter here.

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Video: What would independence mean for Scotland?