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* Cameron visits Scotland to beg Scots to keep the UK
* Party leaders Miliband, Clegg also speak in Scotland
* Sterling hits a fresh 10-month low after online poll (Adds comments by Bank of England Governor Carney)
By Angus MacSwan
EDINBURGH, Sept 10 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister DavidCameron on Wednesday begged Scots not to rip apart the UnitedKingdom's "family of nations", flying to Scotland to man thebarricades against a surge in support for independence eightdays before a referendum.
Cameron appealed to Scots to use their heads and theirhearts when they voted on Sept. 18. He reminded them of theirshared history and bonds with England, Wales and NorthernIreland - twice evoking World War Two and the fight againstHitler.
He also warned that an independent Scotland could not keepthe pound currency, jobs would head south, and the country'ssecurity be weakened.
"I would be heartbroken if this family of nations was tornapart," said Cameron, speaking to staff of the Scottish Widowsfinancial institution in the capital Edinburgh.
Cameron's visit was a sign of the panic that has gripped the British ruling elite over the possible disintegration of the307-year-old union since two polls in the past showed thecampaign for independence, led by Alex Salmond's ScottishNational Party, gaining support to run neck-and-neck with the"No" campaign, which until a few weeks ago was lookingcomfortably ahead.
There was some relief for unionists when a poll released onWednesday evening showed 53 percent of Scots would vote againsta split, with 47 percent intending to opt for independence -unchanged from its last survey on Aug. 28.
The figures from the poll, carried out by Survation for theDaily Record newspaper, excluded 10 percent of undecided.
British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, who leads theLiberal Democrats, and opposition Labour Party leader EdMiliband also crossed the border on Wednesday to shore upsupport. All three parties have offered Scotland greaterautonomy as an enticement to vote against independence.
The prime minister, whose job may be on the line if he losesScotland, warned Scots a vote for secession would be forever.
"I think people can feel it is a bit like a generalelection, that you make a decision and five years later you canmake another decision if you are fed up with the effing Tories,give them a kick and then maybe we'll think again. This istotally different to a general election: this a decision aboutnot the next five years but a decision about the next century,"he said.
Cameron has until now been largely absent from the debateafter conceding that his privileged background and centre-rightpolitics mean he is not the best person to win over Scots, whoreturned just one Conservative lawmaker out of 59 in 2010.
He made no street appearances in his visit to Edinburgh.
"David Cameron is a swear word up here," said one securityguard, asking not to be named.
That comment echoed the sentiment among pro-independenceScots that they are ruled from London by a government they didnot choose - a central tenet of the independence drive.
The "Yes" camp says it wants to build a fairer society withScotland's interests at the forefront. Opponents of independencesay Scotland is stronger and more secure within the UnitedKingdom, and a separate country would struggle economically.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS?
The ramifications of a split could be immense given theUnited Kingdom's position as a G8 economy, a leading member ofNATO and the European Union, and permanent member of the U.N.Security Council. U.S. President Barack Obama and other worldleaders have said they want Britain to stay together.
Cameron held out the promise of more power for Scotland ifScots voted "No".
"It really will be the best of both worlds," he said.
"Scotland is a nation, an incredible nation, strong, proud,with an extraordinary history but also part a family of nations.Please don't think that the rest of the United Kingdom isindifferent. We care passionately."
Salmond said the visits were a sign of panic that would onlyhelp the secessionist cause. Independence supporter James Curry,33, said in Edinburgh he found the visits by politicians fromLondon "insulting and patronising".
"They should've been up here ages ago. Instead, they'rehaving a wee day trip," he said. "There's so much at stake, andit seems so real already, I just hope we make it."
Labour's Miliband meanwhile went to the town of Cumbernauldto campaign for Scotland staying in the union.
Labour supporters are seen as a vital constituency in thefight, given the dearth of Conservatives in Scotland, and ifenough reject the party line it could tip the balance.
The loss of Scottish Labour MPs in Westminster shouldScotland become independent would also seriously affect itselection prospects south of the border.
Miliband promised that Labour would meet Scottishaspirations for a just, fairer society. He said working-classsolidarity went across the border and noted that six Scottishtrade unions had come out against independence.
"The people of Scotland, whether they intend to vote no oryes, have established beyond doubt in this campaign that thereneeds to be profound economic and political change. This thirstfor change is shared across the United Kingdom."
Saying that his father served in Scotland in World War Two,Miliband said. "So many, across the United Kingdom, will havetheir own connections of friendship and family with Scotland ...Please stay with us."
The surge in support for independence over recent weeks hasalso discomfited investors. Sterling hit a 10-month low againstthe dollar and a three-month low against the euro on Wednesday,with traders citing an unverified web poll conducted by ablogger that gave the "Yes" camp a strong lead.
Some major companies with Scottish exposure cautioned aboutthe risks of secession: Standard Life said it couldtransfer business to England, while BP CEO Bob Dudleysaid the future of North Sea oil was best served by keeping theUnited Kingdom together.
Following a vote for independence, London and Edinburghwould face 18 months of talks on how to carve up everything fromNorth Sea oil and the pound to EU membership and Britain's mainnuclear submarine base at Faslane.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said that a new centrlabank in and independent Scotland would need big stockpiles ofsterling if the coutnry opted to adopt the pound without anagreement with the rest of the United Kingdom. He also said itwas likely that economic borders would build up between anindependent Scotland and the rest of the UK.
STREET TALK
The referendum - the biggest internal challenge to theUnited Kingdom since Irish independence almost a century ago -has electrified Scotland. On streets, in pubs and in meetinghalls from the Highlands to the windswept islands of theAtlantic, independence is being debated with passion.
Bookshops are full of referendum guides and tracts for andagainst. The Scotsman newspaper published six pages of letterson the vote on Wednesday.
"Do we wish to become a small, successful, independent statefree to develop our own way of life and find our way in thefamily of nations? Or would we rather continue as a smallappendage of a once glorious but now declining power punchingabove our weight in hopeless wars like Afghanistan ... while athome constructing one of the most unequal societies in theworld," wrote "Yes" supporter John Slee of Gullane.
Other letter writers said the SNP's economic figures justdidn't add up, particularly the funding for public spending.
"The 'Yes' campaign's spin doctors are successfully pipingour economy off a cliff," wrote Hugo Cannon of Edinburgh. (Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Michael Holden,Kate Holton, Andy Bruce, Kylie MacLellan and Jemima Kelly inLondon and Alistair Smout in Edinburgh; Editing by WillWaterman)
