Scotland Decides: Salmond versus Darling is a Scottish television debate that was first broadcast on BBC One Scotland on 25 August 2014. The 90-minute broadcast marked the second and last face-to-face debate between First Minister Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling before the Scottish independence referendum held on 18 September 2014. The event took place in front of a studio audience of 200 people.
| Scotland Decides: Salmond versus Darling | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Glenn Campbell |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production location | Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum |
| Running time | 90 minutes (approx.) |
| Production company | BBC Scotland |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 25 August 2014 |
The debate, moderated by Glenn Campbell, saw both politicians make opening statements, cross-examine each other and take questions from the audience. At the end of the clash, they were both given the chance to make a closing speech.
Responses
editA snap poll conducted by ICM Research stated Salmond won the debate by 71% to 29%.[1][2] In an analysis piece for the What Scotland Thinks website, Professor John Curtice said that although the poll showed the majority of undecided voters had thought Salmond had won, it had only a very small effect (less than 1%) on the voting intention figures.[2]
Amongst the national newspapers, The Herald, the Daily Record and The Scottish Sun reckoned that Salmond won.[3] The Scotsman and the Scottish Daily Mail took a different line, highlighting the "heated" nature of the exchanges, which the Mail believed would turn off voters.[3] Some of the headlines referred to the debate as "Salmond fighting back" or "Salmond strikes back", contrasting the outcome of the two debates.[3]
BBC political editor Nick Robinson commented that Darling was "edgy and nervy", while Salmond appeared "better prepared and more confident".[4] Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins compared the two debates to a European Cup tie in football, implying that Salmond had performed better overall.[4] Speaking for the no campaign, Labour MP Douglas Alexander said that Darling had asked the right questions of Salmond and that there was insufficient clarity in response.[4]
Broadcast arrangements
editThe audience for the live broadcast on BBC One Scotland reached an audience of 843,000, a 37% share of the television audience in Scotland.[1][4] Unlike the first debate, which was not broadcast live on television elsewhere in the United Kingdom,[5] the debate was broadcast live on BBC Two in the rest of the United Kingdom.[4] The average audience for the BBC Two broadcast was 1.5 million, representing a 6.8% share.[4] The debate was also simulcast on Sky News and the BBC News Channel.[4] BBC News said the following day that 4.5 million people had watched the debate across its outlets.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Scottish independence: Council apology over TV debate tweet". BBC. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Salmond Wins Round Two". What Scotland Thinks. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ a b c "Salmond v Darling - What the Scottish papers say". BBC News. BBC. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Scottish independence: Campaigners give their verdict on Salmond v Darling". BBC. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ Plunkett, John (6 August 2014). "STV apologises over livestream crashes in Scottish independence debate". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2014.