LONDON (AP) — Scottish leader Alex Salmond has set Sept. 18, 2014, as the date for an independence referendum that could radically alter the shape of the United Kingdom, calling it a historic opportunity to create a better country.
Salmond announced the date of the long-awaited vote to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, saying it would be a day when Scotland takes “responsibility for our country, when we are able to speak with our own voice, choose our own direction and contribute in our own distinct way.”
Salmond’s nationalist party wants Scots to become independent, ending more than 300 years of union with England.
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