EastEnders win SNP vote in independence battle

Published on Tuesday 19 March 2002 00:00

JOHN Swinney, leader of the Scottish National Party, will today tell voters that they will be able to watch EastEnders in an independent Scotland.

Mr Swinney will reassure Scots about their favourite television programme when he attempts to answer many of the difficult questions about an independent Scotland that SNP candidates get asked on the doorstep.

Mr Swinney’s decision to answer 70 key questions is the latest attempt to step up the campaign on independence.

He will unveil answers to a range of questions, from the huge and wide-ranging - what would happen to the constitution of the United Kingdom if Scotland went independent - to the small and relatively trivial - will Scots still be able to watch EastEnders?

An SNP source said: "There is a great well of support for independence and we have not converted that into votes.

"We have found there is a great deal of uncertainty about the down-to-earth issues: what will happen to my English bank account in an independent Scotland, what about my pension, what will happen to mortgage rates in an independent Scotland, will I still be able to watch East Enders? This will set out the answers."