There are so many questions that need to be answered, and it is important that the voice of the city is heard in the forthcoming debate.

Last Thursday I gave evidence to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee on the economic implications of independence for Glasgow and Scotland.

The most obvious challenge we face over the next two years is ensuring the obvious uncertainty that the country faces does not damage the city's chances of emerging strongly from recession.

But that is a huge difficulty. When businesses don't know what currency they will be using, whether or not they will be trading within the EU or what credit rating the country will have, it's hard for them to plan with any certainty.

And many companies have told me directly that the uncertainty of constitutional change is having a negative impact on their business.

However, the current political climate has made it almost impossible for companies to voice their concerns, for fear that it could harm their business in the short term.

Independence would also have a massive impact on employment in Glasgow.

The Ministry of Defence will start construction of the new Type 26 Global Combat Ship in 2015.

The UK has never commissioned work of this type to a foreign country, and independence would mean the work would not be carried out on the Clyde.

The impact on Govan, Scotstoun and the whole city would be huge.

One of my greatest concerns is the potential collapse of our business tourism sector. This is worth hundreds of millions of pounds each year to Glasgow and the majority of this business comes from the rest of the UK.

Let's be clear, UK organisations do not hold UK conferences outside the UK. The consequences for local jobs in this area would be disastrous.

And independence would have a huge impact upon public services. The loss of the UK's AAA credit rating would have a profound impact on the cost of borrowing, reducing public sector funding, and putting an unbearable strain on already stretched local government resources.

It is not good enough to dismiss legitimate questions as scaremongering. It is not good enough to claim that structural change is the answer to all of society's ills.

Johann Lamont was right to say that the Scottish Government can't keep hiding from the tough decisions.

Anas Sarwar was right to say people can't pretend an independent Scotland will have the public services of Scandinavia but the tax levels of Monaco.

Glasgow has been a city transformed in the last 25 years. We are the powerhouse of the Scottish economy, and our cultural capital.

Building on this success is a huge challenge, but it's one that the city is rising to. The introduction of huge risk and uncertainty at a time when we are trying to position the city to emerge from recession is hugely unwelcome.