The Courier is giving you the chance to quiz those at the top ahead of September’s independence referendum.
Stopping off across Tayside and Fife, four big debates will be taking place with senior campaigners on both sides of the fence. We’ll also have impartial experts offering their views on the issues that matter.
We start at the Gardyne Theatre in Dundee next Thursday, June 5, where Stewart Hosie MP will go head-to-head with Willie Rennie MSP.
Mr Hosie is the SNP’s Treasury spokesman and sits for Dundee East at Westminster, while Mr Rennie is the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland and represents Mid Scotland and Fife at Holyrood.
They will be joined by Mark Diffley, research director at renowned polling company Ipsos Mori. He leads the company’s tracking research, measuring changing attitudes among Scots to public services as well as the political and economic landscape, so is well placed to give a reasoned view of campaigning developments.
The event starts at 7pm and will last until 8.30pm. It will be chaired by myself, Kieran Andrews, in a Question Time-style format with audience members able to submit questions in advance to be asked on the night.
From the economy to democracy, defence and international relations, there has been no shortage of talking points about which way to vote when asked: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
Added to that, the recent European election results present another factor that will undoubtedly feed into the debate.
Conversations about Scotland’s independence referendum are starting to dominate the coffee shops, workplaces and pubs, so why not take the opportunity to listen to and question those at the heart of the debate?
This, alongside our other three debates, will bring the opportunity to learn more about the issues underpinning the referendum right to your doorstep. It is another chance to prove that, even within a national question, local matters.
To reserve a place visit www.completeasurvey.co.uk/courierdebate or call 01382 575293. No physical tickets will be issued.
Our second debate will be in Arbroath, where Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone will take on Yes Farmers’ Jim Fairlie, with the renowned Professor John Curtice providing the expertise.
Following that, Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins, Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Liz Smith and referendum expert Matt Qvortrup will be in Perth.
The events round off with Professor Curtice being joined by Labour MP Thomas Docherty and Yes Scotland chairman Dennis Canavan in Dunfermline.