Scottish Independence: SNP Slams Cameron for Playing 'European Roulette' with Scotland

The Scottish Nationalist Party's leader Alex Salmond has urged voters to break away from the rest of the UK because Prime Minister David Cameron is "playing European roulette" with the country's future.

Writing an opinion piece for a British newspaper, Salmond said Scots are better off as an independent nation as Scotland is wealthy enough to go it alone and will have a stronger position as standalone country without the help of Britain.

"Cameron is playing a game of European roulette with Scotland's future, and with the jobs of many thousands of people in Scotland whose livelihoods depend on our links with the European Union (EU)," said Salmond in The Independent.

"The Prime Minister has started a process over which he now has no control. You normally have a referendum over a proposal which you are trying to gain popular assent for, but he has instigated a chain of events which he no longer dictates and which he is steadily becoming the prisoner of.

"Cameron is a three-way prisoner – firstly, of counterpart EU leaders who have been alienated by his stance, secondly of his own backbench Eurosceptic rebels, and finally of Ukip, to whose tune he and much of Westminster is now dancing merrily."

Scottish people will vote in an independence referendum on 18 September, 2014, and will be asked the straight "yes/no" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

However, since the referendum period started on 30 May, the government, consultancies, agencies, and financials have voiced serious concerns over the prospect of an independent Scotland.

Salmond claims that Scotland would automatically keep its EU membership status in the event of independence while the head of the EU has fervently said that this would be highly unlikely.

Experts, such as one of the world's largest asset management companies, have highlighted concerns over Scotland being able to financially survive without the help of the rest of the UK

"Scotland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world – richer per head than Japan, France, the UK and the majority of developed countries. But for far too many people living in Scotland today it doesn't feel that way," said Salmond.

Schroders's European economist Azad Zangana warned the markets of the issues surrounding independence.

"The 300-year marriage between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom could be heading for a messy divorce with serious political and economic consequences for both parties," said Zangana.

"We analysed the political and economic implications for both an independent Scotland and the remaining UK. The results of our analysis are a concern: Scotland is likely to struggle to reign in a huge fiscal deficit, which is likely to be made worse by dwindling revenues from North Sea oil and gas production.

"A new central bank and currency are likely, but Scotland may struggle to gain the confidence of markets. Bottom line: an independent Scotland is highly likely to face severe economic challenges and pressures from financial markets."