Archive for the ‘Menzies Campbell: No to Independence’ Category

Scottish Referendum – A Message from Sir Roger Gale MP

mercredi, septembre 10th, 2014

Good morning

Folks in far-flung places and those closer to home,

If you have family or friends or contacts who are eligible to vote in Scotland next week would you be kind enough to impress upon them the importance of the ?No? vote to maintain the Union.

At the Battle Of Britain dinner in the House last night the point was made that it was at this time of year that so many of our young airmen gave their lives in the defence of the United Kingdom. The break-up of the Union would have disastrous consequences not just for Scotland but for the whole future of what most of us have worked all our lives for and hold dear.

That, of course, will embrace not only domestic but overseas interests as well.

We are making considerable progress over the right of Britons resident overseas to vote (and if you are eligible but have not yet registered please do so) and there are even some glimmerings ? although I would not wish to overstate the case ? of light on the pensions uprating front. We shall be stronger together.

This is a crucial moment in our Island`s history and we really do need to muster all of the support available.

With very best wishes

Roger – (Sir Roger Gale MP)

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Why the French Government doesn’t want a « Yes » Vote in the Scottish Referendum

lundi, août 25th, 2014

Here’s a useful article by journalist Hugh Schofield, BBC News, Paris on why the French government doesn’t want a « yes » vote in the upcoming Scottish referendum.

http://w ww.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28739399

« Nothing unites different nations quite like mutual enemies. But the « Auld Alliance » between Scotland and France – both historic rivals of England – doesn’t mean that the French government favours Scottish independence. Far from it. »

« France is not Spain, where the precedent Scotland might set for Catalonia is very real. Here the regions make a lot of noise, but there is no risk of separation. »

« No, for France the argument against Scottish independence is our dream of a strong United Kingdom, fully engaged in Europe, whose purpose is to counter-balance a Germany that gets more powerful every year. »

« Anything that detracts from that strong United Kingdom – as Scottish independence would do – goes against French ambitions in Europe. »

The problem of Scotland

mercredi, août 13th, 2014

Here’s an interesting article by Andrew Smithers writing in the on-line Financial Times on 13th August, 2014 and from which an extract is quoted below.

« Scotland is anti-Thatcher. The stated objections to Thatcher are that she was nasty and divisive. But the Scottish admire divisive people such as Nye Bevan, who called Conservatives ?vermin?, Arthur Scargill, who aimed to bring down an elected government and succeeded in bringing down an industry, and Alex Salmond, whose style is often divisive and his aim always. The real objection to Thatcher is that she seems to have been right and her opponents therefore wrong. Her economic policies were aimed at increasing the pot rather than worrying about its division. If, as I expect, devolution weakens Scotland?s dependency culture, its government will shift in this direction. It will be fascinating to observe Scotland becoming more Thatcherite while pretending not to do so. Thatcherite policies will have to be relabelled, but this will be easy for good marketing men and, if you are in politics and not good at marketing, then you are in the wrong job. »

A Splendid Mess of a Union!

samedi, mai 10th, 2014

At last a positive and emotional view of the Union with Scotland by historian Simon Schama, writing in The Financial Times of 9th May, 2014.

« A splendid mess of a union should not be torn asunder.
Scotland?s exit from Britain?s multicultural unity would be a disaster. »

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/085b4586-d5fc-11e3-a239-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz31IfNXNr8

Are the arguments of UKIP and the SNP that different?

dimanche, avril 20th, 2014

According to David Aaronovitch writing in The Times, (Nigel) Farage of UKIP is shorthand for those in the UK, including around a third of Tories, who want separation from the EU; (Alex) Salmond of the SNP is a figurehead for those in Scotland who want separation from the UK. The writer finds it increasingly hard not to see the similarities in their arguments:

– The UK (Scotland) has been diminished by its association with, or absorption into, a larger grouping represented by « Brussels » (« Westminster ») that rule and rule badly.

– The people of the UK (Scotland) did not vote for Jose Manuel Barroso (David Cameron).

– UKIP praises Switzerland as a model non-EU country while the SNP/Scottish manifesto mentioned Norway 57 times and that « small, independent nations of comparable size to Scotland are the world’s happiest. »

– Both camps share a common language of complacent and ill-founded reassurance: It will be alright. They’re just bluffing. Britain (Scotland) is too important to the EU (UK) for them not to allow us to separate on our terms.

Reference: Farage and Salmond want you to live in Outopia, David Aaronovitch, The Times, Thursday April 17, 2014

I will vote no to independence because I love Scotland

mardi, avril 8th, 2014

Writing in The Guardian below on Monday 7th April, 2014 former Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell thinks that:

« Those who argue against independence have a duty to recognise that most Scots want their parliament to have more powers. »

« ……..the majority of Scots still prefer a solution that allows Scotland to remain in the UK but for its parliament to have greater powers, most particularly economic. The Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats publicly acknowledge this reality. They differ in nuance and detail, but not in principle. »

« The promises of the SNP are incapable of achievement, but it chooses to challenge the good faith of the three parties in their undertakings to embrace that principle. Its challenge would be effectively blunted if the three parties could agree on the process of implementation of that principle. »

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/07/independence-scotland-scots-powers-parliament-menzies-campbell?CMP=twt_gu