Remaking Scotland? The 'yes' campaign launch

The 'yes' campaign for Scottish independence will be launched in Edinburgh this morning with the message – put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands.

The campaign is being led by the SNP but has support from the Green Party and a number of Independent parties too.

Being launched in a cinema complex in the Scottish capital, it’s being billed as the greatest community based campaign in Scottish history.

The Nationalists are aiming to put forward a convincing case for what are being described as the ‘persuadables’ – the 20% of the population who are still undecided about how they will vote in the independence referendum in 2014.

And the SNP are rolling out the X Factor for help with that. Celebrities including Alan Cumming, Brian Cox and James Bond himself, Sir Sean Connery are all expected to take part in the 'yes' campaign.

It had been rumoured Sir Sean would be appearing at today's launch, however it now seems he will appear only in the form of a video message.

Having, it seems, successfully delayed the date of the referendum to Autumn 2014 the SNP are being criticised for forging ahead with their 'yes' campaign launch a full two-and-a-half years before that vote.

Are they risking boring the electorate by bombarding them with the Independence message for that protracted period?

Although the independence referendum has been dominating the political agenda it still doesn’t seem to be occupying the minds of the average Scot.

How to pay the next heating bill, whether they’ll still have a job next week and even the euro crisis is more likely to be preoccupying people in their homes at night – not a decision they’ll need to make in over two years time.

That said, the Nationalists would likely argue that this is the most important decision Scottish voters will take, breaking at 305-year-old Union, so it’s only just they have the time and full facts before them ahead of that vote.

In the coming weeks we will see the opposition launch their campaign.

The 'no' camp being led at the moment by Alistair Darling. The former Chancellor is seen as a key figure in persuading the Scottish people of the economic perils of going it alone.

However, having been criticised by the Nationalists for their negative stance it will be interesting to see if the Unionists can come up with something to match the razzmatazz we will see today.