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London • British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday made an impassioned plea to keep Scotland in the union and urged voters not to vote for separation just to give "effing Tories" a kick.
His intervention comes one week before Scots cast ballots to decide whether they will break away from the United Kingdom. Arguably, he seemed on Wednesday to be trying to do what the unionist camp has been accused of failing at miserably so far: connect emotionally with Scottish voters.
After polls published this weekend showed that the outcome was too close to call, the leaders of all the main Westminster parties agreed to abandon Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday for emergency campaigning north of the border.
Sitting on a stool at Scottish Widow's head office in Edinburgh, a glassy-eyed Cameron made an intimate and often emotional appeal to Scottish voters, telling them he'd be "heartbroken" if Scots decided to go it alone while stressing that the vote on Sept. 18 was "totally different" than a general election, where Scots may want to give the "effing Tories" a "kick."
"This is a decision not about the next five years, it's a decision about the next century," he said.
The prime minister emphasized the union's shared history, saying that the "family of nations" together had defeated Hitler, abolished slavery and helped to build the beloved National Health Service. He also reiterated the stance of the three main Westminster parties that if they walk away, Scotland can't use the pound.
Alex Salmond, the Scottish first minister, framed the campaigning on Wednesday as "Team Scotland" vs. "Team Westminster."
"What we're seeing today on the other side is Team Westminster jetting up to Scotland for the day because they are panicking in the campaign," he said.
It's a gamble for Cameron, who could face calls to step down in the face of a "yes" vote for independence (although he insists he won't resign and that he would be responsible for negotiating the breakup).
Cameron conceded that his Conservative party was unpopular in Scotland but said "I love my country more than I love my party."
Whether Scotland stays or goes, much will change after Sept. 18. If Scots reject independence, for instance, the three main Westminster parties have pledged new powers for Scotland's devolved government. If they vote to split, negotiations will commence on everything from the divvying up of debts and assets to what to do with Britain's nuclear submarines.
As the race has tightened in recent days, former British prime ministers Gordon Brown and John Major have also stepped into the fray for the unionists' cause.
Writing in the Times of London, Major said: "We need one another and, if separated, would all face unwelcome and unanticipated change."