Clegg calls Scottish independence extreme

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EDINBURGH, Scotland, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Deputy British Prime Minister Nick Clegg, on a visit to Scotland, described supporters of Scottish independence as "extremists."

Clegg, in an interview with The Scotsman, said his party, the Liberal Democrats, holds the middle ground, supporting additional powers for the Scottish government and a strong United Kingdom.

"All the evidence suggests that is the mainstream of opinion and the extremists are those who either think that we need to yank Scotland out of the United Kingdom tomorrow, or those who say there should be no further change at all," Clegg said. "Well, I don't agree with either of those two extremes."

Clegg was in Dunfermline to push the coalition government's youth unemployment plan. He also visited Edinburgh city council.

The Scottish National Party, which won a governing majority in the Scottish Parliament last year, has been pushing for a referendum on the country's relationship with Britain. Clegg accused First Minister Alex Salmond and the SNP of backing "a smorgasbord of multiple-choice questions" on Scotland's future.