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Fresh Poll Suggests Scottish Independence Backers Gaining Ground

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Support for Scottish independence has risen to 47 percent from 43 percent after the final TV debate took place, less than three weeks away from the historic vote, according to a poll the Scottish Daily Mail conducted on Friday, August 29.

MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - Support for Scottish independence has risen to 47 percent from 43 percent after the final TV debate took place, less than three weeks away from the historic vote, according to a poll the Scottish Daily Mail conducted on Friday, August 29.

Alex Salmond, the leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, was considered to have taken the lead in the TV debate with Alistair Darling, the head of the anti-independence "Better Together" campaign, Reuters reports.

Friday’s poll, the first one since the debate, put support for the anti-independence camp at 53 percentage points, down from 57 percent.  1,001 adults took part in it and the headline numbers were calculated excluding undecided voters.

On August 27, over 200 business leaders signed an open letter backing Scottish independence, with most signatories stating that the decision to break away from the United Kingdom is in Scotland’s best economic interest.

The letter, published in the Herald newspaper, stated: "An independent Scotland will recognize entrepreneurs, small and large, as the real wealth and job creators of the nation's economic future.”

"The tax raids on our oil industry and pension funds by Labour and Conservative-led governments are clear examples of a short-term focus rather than a long-term strategy… Scottish industry is so often treated as a cash cow rather than a strategically important part of a more prosperous and a fairer society.”

The appeal runs counter to a previously published address which was signed by 130 other business leaders, who spoke out publicly against Scotland’s secession from the UK.

Former Scotch Whisky Association chief Gavin Hewitt noted that about half those he had approached did not back independence but did not want to make their views public, for fear of prompting counter measures from the Scottish National Party.

On Thursday night, British Prime Minister David Cameron highlighted that both businesses and consumers would gain "great advantages" if Scotland remained part of the United Kingdom.  "Scotland does twice as much trade with the rest of the UK than with the rest of the world put together," Sky News cited Mr. Cameron as saying. "Trade that helps to support one million Scottish jobs.”

On September 18, the people of Scotland will go to the polls to vote on an independence referendum. There they will answer a simple "Yes/No" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

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