Simple question for referendum on self rule

London:  Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said his planned referendum on independence will ask a simple question on whether the country should go it alone, though he didn't rule out a third option of more power within the UK.

Voters in Scotland will be asked: "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" Salmond told the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh yesterday as he put forward a consultation document for the vote. It will take place in the autumn of 2014, Salmond told lawmakers.

"The next two-and-a-half years promise to be the most exciting in Scotland's modern history," Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party, said on the day Scots commemorate the birth of national poet Robert Burns. "The people who live, work and bring up families in Scotland should make the decision on its future. Our success should be in our own hands."

Debate

Salmond fired the starting gun on the debate over who might get what from a break-up of the UK. The SNP, which won an unprecedented majority in the semi-autonomous Edinburgh legislature last year, seeks to maximise revenue from North Sea oil and minimise how much debt Scotland must assume. The opposition parties, including UK Prime Minister David Cameron's Tories, oppose independence. While Cameron also said he wanted a simple "yes or no" to independence, Salmond said previously there could be a third question on whether people in Scotland want more powers for Scotland.