A sterling performance Darling

THE battle for Scottish Independence entered a new phase as the leaders of the two sides went head to head last night in a televised debate.

Despite initial problems for viewers outside Scotland watching the debate online they were still able to witness Alistair Darling land some heavy body blows to the Yes Campaign.

Ahead of the debate analysts had predicted that Yes campaign leader and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond would be the clear victor of the exchange. By the closing bell, however, and despite no knockout punches by either side, a snap ICM poll gave the win to Mr Darling.

Of 512 people surveyed 51 per cent believed that the Better Together leader had made the most persuasive arguments of the night.

With most of the debate focusing on the economic ramifications of an independent Scotland it was Mr Darling's persistent questioning as to what Mr Salmond's "plan b" would be in the event a currency union did not materialise which set the tone for the evening.

Refusing to be drawn on his options Mr Salmond started to appear more evasive and confused over the situation as Mr Darling continued to land hits.

In a dubious attempt to rally the SNP leader struck back at claims the No Campaign had said drivers in an independent Scotland would be forced to drive on the right. Mr Darling looked shocked that a joke made by MP Andy Burnham was being used as a serious argument.

Tweeting during the debate Mr Burnham weighed in by saying: "Can't believe a weak joke I once made about Scotland driving on right has actually been quoted by Salmond. He's lost the plot."

If Mr Darling thought that he had seen the end of the nonsensical arguments he was in for a further shock as he was challenged on claims that the No Campaign had said that Scotland would be unable to defend itself from an extraterrestrial attack.

Undaunted by the strange line he was facing the former chancellor pressed on with his questioning over what would happen to the currency saying: "Any eight-year-old can tell you the flag of a country, the capital of a country and its currency.

"I presume the flag is the saltire, I assume our capital will still be Edinburgh, but you can't tell us what currency we will have. What is an eight-year-old going to make of that?"

While the audience noticeably turned against Mr Salmond, with one Yes supporter saying he was disappointed that the First Minister was failing to address real issues, moderator Bernard Ponsonby became increasing aggressive in his questioning of Mr Darling as a balance.

Many of those watching the debate have been left with more questions than answers in the run up to September 18th following the face off. The key focus on the economy left little time to cover the wide range of additional issues which loom on the horizon. 

Whether or not there was an all out winner one thing was clear, Yes Campaign's hubris in claiming that Mr Salmond would route Mr Darling was unfounded. As Labour MP for Paisley & Renfrewshire South and Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander tweeted: "Alex Salmond thought this debate would be his Bannockburn...it's turning out to be his Waterloo."

Debate night for Scotland

TONIGHT Scotland will get its first chance to see the leaders of the two campaigns, for and against independence, go head to head.

The televised debate between pro-independence leader Alex Salmond and the Better Together Campaign head Alistair Darling has been pitched as a key moment in the build up to September's referendum vote.

Political debates have long been an important part of politics. In America they are viewed as crucial for the success of Presidential campaigns. In Britain, however, they are still watched with a degree of scepticism by the voting public.

The televised debates between David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg prior to the 2010 General election were hailed by some observers as the reason for the astonishing gains made by the Liberal Democrats.

Despite Mr Clegg's presence and personality in the debates, however, he has failed to meet expectations, leading to the party's relegation to fourth place in opinion polls.

Both Mr Salmond and Mr Darling will be hoping that their performances tonight have a longer lasting impact.

The campaign has heated up in recent weeks as both sides have accused the other of misleading the electorate over the repercussions of Scotland leaving the Union. Tonight they will be able to confront each other face to face. Many will be hoping that they are able to make sense of an increasingly confused economic agenda amongst other things.

Blair Jenkins, chief executive of the Yes Scotland Campaign, has been reported as saying: "Viewers will get the chance to hear why decisions made on Scotland's future should be taken here in Scotland.

"Our experience is that most undecided voters choose Yes when they hear both sides of the debate, and therefore we believe the mass TV audience will benefit our positive campaign.

'We also believe that the No campaign have a problem with both the negativity of their message, and the unpopularity of their messengers."

Meanwhile Better Together campaign director Blair McDougall has lowered expectations of the debate, claiming that the real discussions will take place off air.

"The referendum debate isn't confined to TV studios. It is taking place in conversations between friends and family across Scotland.

"The biggest debate is taking place on the doorsteps, around kitchen tables and in workplaces across the country.

"And the more people talk about what leaving the UK would mean for our schools and hospitals, the more they are saying no thanks to separation."

The danger of the debates, as proven by the 2010 election, is that the policies are lost amid the personalities of the participants. Mr Salmond potentially holds the winning hand in this case. His bombastic and larger than life approach may appeal more to swing voters than Mr Darling's more academic reasoned arguments. Whatever the pro's and con's debated it could all come down to how well they are put across, rather than the actual merits of, the facts and opinions which persuade voters. With recent polls putting the difference between two camps in single digits the only thing certain for tonight is that both campaigns still have everything to play for.