promises it will resolve the issue in the coming month. in the meantime the kids will condition to share their park with prisoners. a quick reminder, keep up to date with the news on the website. there it is. the address aljazeera.com. that's aljazeera.com. . >> after more than 300 years inial u.k., some scots want a divorce from england and wales, they want to return to what they were for centuries, a separate country, culture and economy. the vote is two weeks away and it's the "inside story".

hello, i'm ray suarez. a long time ago there were different nationalities, separate countries on the island of britain. people spoke different languages, practised different varieties of religion, made different alliances around the world. in time the richest and powerful of the countries in britain, united wales, scotland and ireland under one monarch and government, run from london. after three centuries of union, the people of scotland acknowledge faith for more and more autonomy, running more of their affairs in scotland. now many are saying they want o complete break to become a separate self-governing country, making that almost inconsequential line at the tweed river into an international boarder. will that benefit the scots, do the english want them to stay in the u.k.? the polling is in two weeks, and scottish publish been is divided.

>> reporter: will scotland be an independent country? we'll know in seven days when 4 million voters will go to the polls to choose yes or nor. alex salmond, the first minister, leads the crusade for the yes campaign. >> few societies anywhere secured this opportunity to vote themselves into independents. this is an opportunity peacefully at the ballot box in a process agreed and consented. it's an opportunity which may not come our way again. >> alastair darling, head of the better together campaign argues for keeping the status quo. >> we do not need to divide the islands into separate states to assert scottish identity. we can have the best world with more decisions taken in scotland, backed up with the strength and security provided by the u.k. >> according to the bbc, throughout 2013, better together

moved in the polls by an estimated 50% to 33%. now the gap has dramatically narrowed. 52% of voters want to stay with you union. >> come the election i'll vote yes. we have the results. confidence, think we can do it. >> we'll always be scots but a part of the u.k. i think we should stay that way. >> reporter: british prime minister david cameron cleared his schedule to travel north and sway scots to stay. >> i would be heart broken if a family of nations that we put together, and have done amazing things together, if the family of nations was torn apart. >> reporter: the referendum is not just about national identity, it's about money and politics. the north sea oil and gas

reserves are worth 2.5 trillion. the yes campaign says it's enough to fund a new nation. better together says oil money is not realible and will run out. >> no campaign. the labour party are the only people in the world arguing that it is a curse, as opposed to an asset. every other country in the world. >> currency is a major issue. the yes campaign promises an independent scotland will use the british pound. he believed the best option for scotland, what i'm seeking a mandate for is to have the pound sterling. they pay a mortgage. we get the wages in the pound. i'm seeking the best options so the economy keeps the pound sterling. >> three major parts won't allow

an independent scotland to use the sterling. >> if voters decide they want to stay in the union, it's improbable there'll be a push for independence. the u.k. will consider a further devaluation of powers. if first minister salmond in his cam comms out victorious, it's likely they'll host a huge party. 307 years after the axe of union, is scotland merely a region of one country or still a distinct separate particular place that it has the same claim to independence than recently established countries like the czech republic, croatia and estonia. would scotland be a kingdom or a republic. have an established church, army in n.a.t.o. membership in the european union, and what will be used for

money in aberdeen and others. joins us is germany pervis, a liberal democrat -- jeremy pervis from the lib democrat upper house, and adam ramsay from the progroup. adam, let's start with you, why an independent scotland, why now? >> i think people all across the u.k. are fed up with a broken westminster political system. the fact that we have jeremy on the tellie with us, a life members of the house or the legislature, assessing our laws for life, appointed by the prime minister of this country. it's one of the most democratic systems. the chance to escape that system is thrilling. it's that system that made the most uneconomical country, imposed on scotland and people in the other bits of the u.k.

are right wing brand of economics. we want to get away from it. huge numbers of people in scotland are motivated by a sense to create an equal and better society than the western political system that is so un-democratic that will not give it to us. >> are they not short-term deliberations. scotland has become terror incognito to the conservative party of great britain, don't political pend u lums swing back and forth. leaving a country you have been a part of for 300 years, because you don't like the current system of government in westminster. >> i think it's not just the conservative party. if that was the case - the labor party presided over a massive increase in this country and more and more people, as across the country and the u.k. rls that the thing that is broken is the system. we have a collection of normal

northern european countries stuck in a parliament. it was stuck in a government system built for the aged vampires, and we live in the modern world, but being a small progressive country, having our own place on the international face is much better for us. >> lord pervis, how about it, a dissatisfied part of the country that has the ability to decide its own future and get out. what is your counter-argument? >> i think it's something that all of us in the u.k. take a great deal of pride in. the u.k. is facilitating a democratic process, a thrilling democratic process for a nation that makes up the u.k., and decides whether or not it fishes to stay part of that union. i was a member, a directly elected member of the scottish

parliament in the scottish legislature, deciding on issues of help, transport, brutal policy and fisheries. all over the planet. with 100% power. people who supported the snp or independence argued for that whilst i was a member of the scottish parliament and a member of the house of lords. i think the real question is should scotland carry on as part of the u.k. and see it flourish. and if that is the case, we have to focus on the issues of scotland for the devolved areas. and reforming westminster. i'm a reformist. i'm a liberal democrat. i believe in a directly second chamber to vote myself out of a job. i would prefer for sclts still to be in the u.k. parliament, to

playing a role on the global stage and issues that affect parts of the u.k., and leave the union and seem to negotiate their way in. the package outlined to negotiate back into a currency agreement, the union and back into n.a.t.o. and nuclear alliance. i think the best opportunities for scotland is going forward, not to rely on the past, but for scotland to play a leading role in the union. >> it is one that is not shared by england. you have representatives in the scottish parliament making decisions about devolved powers, and represent fifs going down to westminster -- representatives going down to westminster voting on other matters. >> certainly i feel - sorry, i lived most of the last five years of my life in england. i feel sorry for people in

england that don't have an opportunity to break from the westminster politics which is damaging to people in the u.k. the most equal country in europe, it's not a reason to remain governed by the system. the scottish parliament has almost the entire budget set by westminster. it's not as if it has a parliament that can protect itself, it's a parliament with its budget the set by another parliament. there are few clementic bodies like that. general assembly is right, he was a member of the government. i didn't vote for the parliament. they did a better job when they were in labour, than the guys in westminster, so i think the success of jeremy and his colleagues is a testament to what we can do. the question is do we want - which powers do we want to be held. i can't think of any power.

i would rather have decided by a less democratic parliament, than a more democratic one. foreign policy - do we want the post imperial westminster decided if we want to go into a war in iran. no, i would rather keep the parliament closer to us making the decision. and i can tell them what i think about that. >> lord pervis, what do you make of that argument? >> i was a member of the scottish parliament when the scottish parliament endorsed the iraq war, when the scottish parliament endorsed scotland having nuclear weapons, and there is two arguments here. the first is basically party political, and you don't really make constitutional change, and it don't think the future of scotland should be determined by party political positioning on any particular time, a point made before, depending on the coalitions, the policy, we may have different policies.

the question is whether or not as part of a broader union, nation, across britain, whether you can have a stronger base so, therefore, you can see u.k. wide redistribution or you can see u.k. wide benefits. an example - scottish universities, some of the best in the world, so proud of these universities in scotland, also benefit massively from the u.k. wide research funding. edinburgh university, where i'm speaking from receives the same amount of money from u.k. based research grants as it does from the scottish parliament and government that i was a member of, so interconfined that the u.k. and clnd playing a leading role provides the best base to grow the economy, provide the best education, and it's not the best platform to say that we are moving away from the nations that are currently partners,

seamless partners into what will effectively be a different country with barriers and in areas like trade, a degree of competition. if it's so clear that we should be so distinct from other parts of the union, i'm puzzled why the first minister is so keen to say that we'll have an observer status in the bank of england, a bank of a foreign country running our currency, setting interest rates, but would affect scotland, and an inflation rate that we wouldn't determine. that's less autonomy and less influence over the scottish economy. it's a curious argument and definition. >> i'll jump in there. we'll talk about the practicalities of this divorce later in the programme. back with more "inside story" after a short break. stay with us.

you're watching "inside

story" on al jazeera america. i'm ray suarez. scots, soldiers and civil servants, invaded, stood guard. scottish politicians, wishes and musicians had a profound influence. half the voters tell pollsters they are ready to leave the u.k., and establish or re-establish an independent scotland. adam ramsay, let's talk a little about the pracalties of this. because there's a thanksal debt that is held by the u.k., and a portion of that has to be accepted by scotland. there are expenditures for old age pensions and as the purpose mentions before the break, university funding. all intertwined revenues and expenditures, and it would seem tough to pull those apart and

make them into two separate distinct entities. can you do it? >> of course. the first thing to say is the scottish parliament decides many such things. we have done that. we have done that from lots of public services and there's lots of small countries, small european countries scotland will be the average size for a population for a country in the world. we could do it. we don't have to do it in everything. what the referendum is about is whether we have the sovereignty. the u.k. already pools much research funding with ireland, and before the break jerry mentioned edinburgh, but what the vice-chancellor said is the u.k. shares research funding with ireland, we have a pool, the research council says we pull the funding. in some areas it will make sense

to work together across the islands, and we should do it where it does. the question is should the parliament have sovereignty and decide mcrae policy and foreign policy. it should. it's better when it is closer to people, and they can hold politicians to act. one of the problems in the modern world is international corporations are good at taking control of and lobbying politicians and parliament when they are far away from us, and it's harder for people to hold them to account. >> you are right that it happens, but it's rare that people voluntarily died to be less powerful and influential in the world. of 5.75% of people, the scots cut a smaller figure on the world stage. >> we have our own feet. if we asked who has more

influence on the world, new zealand or others, i expect you to say the new zealand each though the two have a smaller population. there's a bonus. i don't understand the idea that by getting your own vote, you have less power. at the moment it's misrepresented on the world stage. by politicians we haven't voted for, acting in the interests in the city of london. not only would we have alloweder voice in the world statement than having the alternative, because west minister doesn't represent us. what about that. in a multi polar economically zoned world. governed and setting the rules of the game, with international organizations. isn't it easier to be a small

country in the 21st century. >> well, if we are looking at it objectively, the u.k. is a small country in the world, 0.6% of the world's population, but as a whole, with the breathth and its contribution and with scots at the leading element of that, and the leading edge of it as prime ministers, foreign secretaries, the whole way that the sclts played their role within that, i think with our brand as far as self power in the world, as well as our influence around the world as the u.k. and scots taking a leading part, that is something where i think it's something where scotland benefits from massively. whether or not the foreign policy at the time is - whether it's agreed with, that's the issue. over my time and political life, over the last 15-20 years, there

has been scottish foreign ministries and prime ministers, it may not suit the views of others. but they've been there and playing a role of it. if scotland chooses to be an independent country, it has to go through the process negotiating its entry back into the organization and i challenge whether or not it has the breadth that we want to have, that pays a proper tribute to the roles it had. the u.k., 0.6 of the world's occupation, the second-largest aid budgets, 400 million pounds is the british budget for syria. an independent scotland wouldn't have the ability to have that brettedth and impact. that would be regrettable. >> the scots are hardly unique

in running their affairs. the catalans, finnish and others. does an undependent scotland make sense in a cultural way. it's hard to add up on an accountant's ledger. stay with us.

you're watching "inside story" on al jazeera america. i'm ray suarez. in the three centuries since the crowns of england and scotland merged aspects of dally live converged. north of the border identities remained. a lot of countries have regions in accent, religious sentiments. we are looking at a vote on scottish independence. with us, lord jeremy pervis, a liberal democrat of the house of lords the upper chamber. and adam ramsay, a member of

proindependence group yes scotland. are there bonds of national association that people have not reckoned with, only 14 days short of the vote. have people in the other side of the argument been minimising how easily scotland will live without england and wales? >> south of the border there'll be a deep feeling of loss if scotland makes the decision. it's for the people of scotland to decide. and it's - it's a real wonderful thing. there's a democratic and peaceful process. at the outset of the programme you mentioned the river tweed, whether it will form an international barrier. i was born right on the border, just on the english side. i hope very much that a young person born in my home town will want to play a role on the scottish stage or the british stage or the international stage and not be divided by an

international border, cherish the identity, allow that to flourish, but give them the best opportunity. that is why scotland should vote to stay part of the u.k. and see itself flourish and tackle the issues of quality, economic development, social justice and environmental justice, that challenges scotland and england on both sides of the river, where i was born and brought up. >> for someone that lives in the u.k. that worked and travelled, looking from the outside, i have been surprised how blithely some sclts say that they could do without being british, that it's no longer part of their identity. have you wrestled with this, what being inside a much smaller and differently constituted country would be like.

>> britain an an island. as norwegian people feel, they've been independent for more than a century. i'll feel british after i vote yes in a fortnight's time. i find the argumentative. a year ago, two years ago, the leader of the party proposed we'd introduce a system of bail bonds, the british state. it is fond of borders, and treating other countries in horrific ways. it's misleadingment what they are against is borders within the u.k. they were british nationalists, they support a british identity. they want to protect - i don't believe in borders. i support it. i'm not interested in creating international barriers. you can drive from dublin to belfast and not have your passport check. there won't be passport checks

between scotland and england. it's not the issue. i'm not interested in questions of identity. there's someone campaigning in newcastle, decisive border at the moment. they should be allowed to join scotland if we vote yes, and if they want to come, i'm not concerned about whether it's scotland or whether we extend the border south and he comes with us. i'm interested - westminster was the product. it's a product of scotland england coming together so we could conquer the world. the british state has been set up for that purpose. in 2014, we are living in the shadow of a post imperial aid, after the collapse for the empire. it's time to put part of that history to bed, to make a better future. we don't need big lumbering

bureaucracy. >> i've gotta go. that brings us to the end of this edition of "inside story", thanks lord jeremy and our other guest. i'm ray suarez. i had had this dream to build a cabin in the mountains since i was a kid.