Sir Paul McCartney makes his stance on Scottish independence vote known

The former Beatle has given his signature to an open letter calling for Scotland to remain part of the UK

Natasha Culzac
Sunday 31 August 2014 15:06 BST
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Paul McCartney backs the "no" campaign in the Scottish referendum
Paul McCartney backs the "no" campaign in the Scottish referendum

Sir Paul McCartney has made his feelings clear on which way he thinks Scotland should vote on 18 September.

The musician has added his name to an open letter calling for Scotland to remain part of the UK, the Let’s Stay Together campaign has said.

Television presenter Dan Snow, who helps to spearhead the campaign, made the announcement today as it rallied for support on the streets of Liverpool today.

Snow and footballing veteran Peter Reid joined forces to collect signatures in the former Beatle’s birthplace.

In a blog post today, Snow talks about Sir Paul’s “love for Scotland”; a “fondness” that had been solidified over decades of gig-playing and later his 1966 purchase of a farm near Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute.

Snow later added: “Sir Paul is one of Britain and the world's most respected musicians. We are humbled that he has signed the letter.

“[His] signature, alongside Sir Mick Jagger's and those of tens of thousands of people from all over the country, shows that English, Welsh and Northern Irish people hope passionately that the Scottish vote to renew their bonds of citizenship with us.”

Other high profile figures to sign the letter include Professor Stephen Hawking, Dame Judi Dench, Sir David Attenborough and Michael Douglas.

The addition of Sir Paul’s signature led to a number of puns being rolled out on Twitter, including “Yellow Trident Submarine” and “(Don't) Let It Be” thanks to the hashtag #MaccaSaysNo.

Prepare to groan further.

“We are glad to have the Help! of Sir Paul McCartney,” said Scottish Labour MP Anne McGuire.

“It is hardly surprising that Sir Paul wants us to Come Together. Maybe rather than trying to take us all on a Magical Mystery Tour Alex Salmond should just Let it Be.”

The Yes campaign also got in on the action, with a spokesman saying: “It's fantastic that Sir Paul loves Scotland, and we're sure he will continue to do so after Scots say 'Yeah, yeah, yeah'.

“The case for Yes is a democratic one - as far as Scotland is concerned the Westminster system belongs to Yesterday, and independence will be good for the Mull of Kintyre and all of Scotland. Yes is definitely the best Ticket To Ride.”

The Let’s Stay Together campaign asks its supporters to a sign a letter which tells Scottish voters: “We want to let you know how very much we value our bonds of citizenship with you, and to express our hope that you will vote to renew them.

“What unites us is much greater than what divides us.”

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