First Minister Alex Salmond on Saturday urged Scots to look beyond party politics and break the 307-year union with England when they vote in an independence referendum in September, according to Reuters. Closing the Scottish National Party's (SNP) last conference before the ballot on Sept. 18, Salmond said a vote for independence was not a vote for his party or for him, but a way to put Scotland's future in its own hands. His appeal comes after a narrowing in opinion polls that has for the first time in the SNP's 80-year history made independence look a possibility, with both sides now trying to convince up to 15 percent of voters who remain undecided. Salmond promised to form an all-party "Team Scotland" group after a "Yes" vote to negotiate terms of independence by March 24, 2016, such as how to divide oil revenues, the currency, removing nuclear weapons, and European Union membership. His promise is an appeal to opposition Labour voters, many of whom bitterly oppose the SNP, which dominates Scotland's devolved parliament. Salmond can count on concern among Labour voters about a continuing Conservative-led government in Britain. -- SPA 21:00 LOCAL TIME 18:00 GMT تغريد
