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English regional daily joins battle to save the union

A regional daily based on the South Coast of England has joined the battle to halt the potential break-up of the UK.

Polls over the weekend showed the ‘Yes’ campaign is poised for victory in next week’s Scottish independence referendum.

However the Southern Daily Echo has become the first English regional daily to give public backing to the pro-union ‘Better Together’ camp.

Editor Ian Murray, who is also president of the Society of Editors, wants other newspapers throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland to follow suit.

The Southampton-based Echo announced its support for the Better Together campaign on Saturday, before the latest poll showing a lead for the Yes campaign for the first time.

It turned over the centre spread to a union flag for readers to display.


Ian said that although he believes the economic arguments support the UK staying together, the main reason for opposing the break-up was an emotional one.

“Peoples who have lived together as one nation for three centuries, fought together, worked together, struggled and sacrificed together, achieved together, experienced great moments of victory and joy together will be separated – forever,” he wrote.

Ian said in his role as President of the Society of Editors he wanted to encourage other papers to consider a similar campaign.

“I hope we can play our part in keeping our nation together. So far it has been the voices of politicians and celebrities the people of Scotland have heard, urging them to stay. I believe the voices of everyday folk will carry more weight,” he said.

“There is still time for us to get this message across to those north of the border who are wavering over whether to go.

“If enough of us wave the Union Flag, that symbol of our united nations, in our homes, our offices, our stores and meeting places, our pubs and factories, our schools and colleges, then the Scots will see we care.”

The Echo carried out its own poll, asking 500 residents if they wanted Scotland to remain part of the union, with 69.8 per cent saying yes.

Its Newsquest sister title, the Sunday Herald in Scotland, is the only paper so far to come out in favour of independence.

4 comments

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  • September 8, 2014 at 12:51 pm
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    I didn’t realise people in the South of England could vote.

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  • September 9, 2014 at 10:49 am
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    The last two lines of your article tells the story!

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  • September 9, 2014 at 11:52 am
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    “If enough of us wave the Union Flag, that symbol of our united nations, in our homes, our offices, our stores and meeting places, our pubs and factories, our schools and colleges, then the Scots will see we care.”

    The Scots? It’s the residents of Scotland who will decide…Scots, English, Italians, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese etc etc etc.

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  • September 9, 2014 at 4:12 pm
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    Does he think his readers actually care? I suspect most south of the border don’t (except Westminster paper, radio, and TV hacks and MPs who rarely live in the real world). Good luck though. At least a bold move as a break from the usual drudgery of court cases crime reports and dull planning stories that seem to swamp local papers nowadays

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