Banffshire & Buchan Coast SNP: Sturgeon - People in Scotland Deserve Higher Standard of Debate than 'Puerile' Scare Stories

CALL FOR VISION AFTER TORY DEPUTY LEADER BRANDS ‘PROJECT FEAR’ ARGUMENTS ‘SILLY’
Deputy First Minister and SNP Depute Leader Nicola Sturgeon has today called on the anti-independence No campaign to raise its level of debate as significant cracks appeared in the ‘Project Fear’ campaign. The latest round of scare stories has been described by the deputy leader of the Scottish Tories, Jackson Carlaw, as ‘silly’ and by former Tory donor John McGlynn as ‘puerile’ and taking the ‘independence debate to a new low’.

This weekend's Westminster Government claim that Scots would face roaming charges when south of the border was quickly undermined by the fact that the EU Commission has already announced moves to abolish such charges across the EU by next year. To compound matters, the claims were made on the very day that roaming charges were due to fall across the continent ahead of their expected abolition.

Meanwhile the same report attempted to whip up unfounded fears about the future of the postal network in Scotland, the day after a strike by postal workers that was prompted by a Westminster agenda that has seen job losses and post office closures across the country.

And in today’s Sunday Herald the former head of intelligence and counter-terrorism for Strathclyde Police branded negative claims about security in an independent Scotland as ‘scurrilous scaremongering’.

Commenting, Nicola Sturgeon MSP said:

“Next year’s referendum is about deciding what kind of Scotland we want to live in – one that is a fairer and more prosperous country where decisions are taken by people living here or one that remains tied to a failing Westminster system.

"A Yes vote is about winning the powers we need in Scotland that will to build a stronger economy and a fairer society.

“The silly scare stories which the anti-independence campaign are resorting to serve nobody – least of all the people of Scotland.

“It is obviously the complete lack of vision in the anti-independence campaign that leads them to fall back on a steady drip of scare stories that are becoming more and more ridiculous.

“But when leading figures on their own side start to describe the approach as 'silly', it is time for them to think again. To that end, I welcome the intervention of Jackson Carlaw.

“The Yes campaign have a clear vision for the kind of fairer, more prosperous Scotland we want to see.

“The fact that the anti-independence campaign seems unable to find any positive case for a No vote speaks volumes about their campaign and is shaping up to be the fatal weakness of their argument"