Scottish independence: 'Scared and unsure' voter challenge

Voters will go to the polls in the Scottish independence referendum on 18 September.

James Cook hosted the last in a series of special BBC Scotland debates from Stirling as the country prepares to make a historic decision on its future.

One audience member asked the panel why she should vote for them: "As a young mother who is scared and unsure of the consequences of my vote for my child, and their children, what is the one thing that you can say to me to give me faith in your campaign?"

Actor and pro-independence campaigner Elaine C Smith said: "I'm a mother as well, I'm a grandmother of a 16-week-old baby. My vote for Yes is because I want to see a better place for her."

Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander MP answered: "I believe that the best way to guarantee funding for our NHS, the funding for our schools, the funding for childcare is a No vote. I am genuinely worried as to the risks, the costs and uncertainties of an irreversible vote on Thursday."

For the SNP's Westminster Treasury spokesman, Stewart Hosie, it's about austerity measures: "I don't want the risks of UK austerity for my daughter. I want the certainty of the Scottish people making the right decisions, not just for my child, but for everyone's child within our own nation."

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson MSP said: "I want the children of Scotland to grow up thinking that they can go anywhere, they can be anything that they want to do. There is no horizon whatsoever. I think we have more opportunities in our country from being part of one of the countries that leads the world."

You can also follow our coverage of the independence issue on our Scotland Decides index.