Former President
Bill Clinton has made a last-minute pitch in an attempt to persuade Scots to support the "No" campaign and vote to remain in the UK.
Clinton acknowledged he was reticent to make his views known because he believes Thursday's vote on the nation's independence is for the "Scots alone to make," but opted to release a statement through the Better Together campaign, which opposes an independent Scotland.
“Because the independence vote is a decision for the Scots alone to make, and because Scots are already legendary for their independence of mind, I have been reluctant to express my views on the matter,” Clinton said in a statement, according to
The Guardian newspaper.
Voters will head to the polls to choose whether Scotland continues to remain in its union with England or, after more than 300 years, breaks away and becomes an independent nation.
As the vote nears, polls suggest the "no" campaign has a slight edge, but the
vote likely will go down to the wire, reports The Guardian.
Three of the latest polls show support for independence at about 48 percent, while 52 percent back staying in the UK.
An Opinium survey conducted for London's Daily Telegraph found only 6 percent of voters were undecided, and half of the respondents said the campaign has created divisions within Scotland and damaged its relations with the rest of the United Kingdom, reports
The Independent.
An ICM poll for the Scotsman put the undecided vote at 14 per cent, but suggested the Yes campaign was gaining ground.
In making his case for keeping Scotland in the union, Clinton stressed the financial uncertainty that could be created by breaking away. He said keeping the British pound as its currency "without the support that UK membership provides carries substantial risks," and that "separation will require a long complex negotiating process with considerable uncertainty and potential to weaken the Scottish economy."
Clinton is the latest high-profile public figure to weigh in on the referendum vote.
International soccer star
David Beckham joined the Better Together campaign, saying that while the "decision on whether to leave our shared country is, of course, down to you, it is not my intention to tell you what to do. Nevertheless, that decision will have a huge effect on each and every one of us in the United Kingdom."
Coming in on the side of those backing independence, actor and Broadway star
Alan Cumming wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times that the vote "is not about hating the English," but "about democracy and self-determination."
He added that "Scotland is weary of being ruled by governments it did not vote for."
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