Salmond and Darling clash over Scottish independence in TV debate

Salmond and Darling debated about currency, oil revenues, and the future of nuclear weapons.

16:58 26 August 2014

Over the bank holiday weekend, Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond and Better Together head Alistair Darling debated for the last time on national TV ahead of the referendum.

In their heated discussion, they tackled important issues including oil revenues, currency, and the future of nuclear weapons.

While Mr Salmond said that Mr Darling was siding with the Tories on policies that could push Scottish children and the elderly into poverty, Mr Darling fired back at his opponent to present his Plan B over Scotland’s currency. 

A snap poll conducted by The Guardian newspaper revealed that Mr Salmond won the debate after getting 71per cent of the vote.

The first minister Mr Salmond (of the YES campaign), who decided to focus on the welfare system, said: "Yes we've got troubled economic times, but the mark of a government is when you are in difficult economic times you don't take it on the disabled and you don't take it out on families with children and you don't impose the bedroom tax, which must be the most ludicrous tax of all time."

Labour MP Mr Darling (of the NO campaign) countered: "No-one could support people who need help being denied, no-one could possibly support that. We have an obligation to help people who need support.

"However, to do that you need the means to do it. What concerns me is if you end up in the situation where you are cutting off opportunities for firms that generate wealth and therefore generate taxation, to pay for these things, it is going to be less likely you can provide the level of support you need in the future."