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Top politicians in countdown to independence vote     20/8/14

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont and Nicola Sturgeon, deputy First Minister of Scotland, are on the independence debate trail to the Western Isles as the campaign intensifies with just four weeks to go.

On September 18th, voters in Scotland will be asked if they think Scotland should be an independent country or not.

Nicola Sturgeon and Johann Lamont  will argue their opposing views in Stornoway in two weeks time.

With a freeze on any government political publicity or funding initiatives will be imposed after Thursday, to avoid influencing voters, each side has rushed out  last minute announcements before the deadline.

It includes a guarantee to protect public service pension rights, community youth work funding, and a statement on fair rural delivery and on fair pay.

It also saw Lib Dem politician Danny Alexander flying to the Hebrides with a £1 million gift of extra money for Gaelic broadcasting this week under his remit as Chief Secretary to the UK Treasury.

However, the campaign to keep the Union did not organise a public meeting to take advantage of the presence of such a high profile No campaigner within the UK coalition government though Mr Alexander did meet with supporters in a Stornoway hotel.

Earlier this month, Anas Sarwar, deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party, took Labour’s “battle bus” on a whirlwind tour of Lewis and Harris.

In June, Better Together leader, former Chancellor of the Exchequer  Alistair Darling, spoke to No supporters while, on a separate date, YES Scotland chief Blair Jenkins was also on the island to rally the Yes campaigners.

Labour’s Jim Murphy, a former Scottish Secretary, held meetings in Uist and Barra while the SNP’s Richard Lochhead, the Scottish crofting and fishing minister, spoke at a forum in Lochboisdale.

There were MSPs galore when the Scottish Cabinet met in Stornoway in April and held a packed-out public discussion in the town hall.