FIRST Minister Alex Salmond today challenged opponents of independence to put their alternative plan to the voters in a referendum.
And he held out the prospect of a three-way choice where the electorate would be asked to rank separation, further devolution or keeping the status quo in order of preference. for more click here
IT WAS supposed to ease tensions within multi-cultural Britain, helping diverse communities to heal divisions caused by the terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow.
But a proposal to make Britain’s teenagers pledge an oath of allegiance to the Queen was immediately dismissed by Alex Salmond, the First Minister, as “Monty Python-esque” – a description which captured the Anglo-centric origin of the idea, as well at the contempt with which it is likely to be viewed north of the Border. for more click here
ALEX Salmond would start legal moves to bring Berwick back under Scottish control if the town’s residents voted to leave England in a referendum, it emerged yesterday.
A spokesman for the First Minister said borders were “fluid” and there were precedents from around the world of towns changing hands from one government to another. for more click here
SOME years after the Second World War, there were reports of Japanese soldiers found on distant Pacific islands refusing to surrender their arms, convinced they were still at war.
A similar problem is currently facing the Scottish Labour Party, if sources close to Wendy Alexander are to be believed. for more click here
It is becoming the truth that dare not speak its name, almost; Unionism, the creed that has bound Britain’s main political parties together - no matter what their other differences - is being watered down on an almost weekly basis. for more click here
THE question of Scottish independence raises big questions. What happens to the nuclear weapons? How much of the oil does Scotland get? What happens to the national debt and, as important, assets: things like the contents of museums and embassies around the world? Can Berwick Rangers continue to play in Scottish football? for more click here
UP TO six new stores for nuclear waste are planned for Scotland in a move which will create a new confrontation between the Scottish government and Westminster.
Scottish ministers - who have already effectively blocked Westminster plans for new nuclear power stations north of the Border - believe waste from our existing power stations should be kept in Scotland rather than transported to a dump near Sellafield in Cumbria. for more click here
MINISTERS unveiled their vision for Scotland in 2030 yesterday – a country ringed by massive container ship ports, with two top-class airports and powerful electricity lines to transport renewable energy to the Central Belt.
John Swinney, the finance secretary, said the Scottish Government had agreed in principle to back nine infrastructure projects which, he claimed, would grow the economy, improve the environment and make life better for Scots. for more click here
As Nationalists settle into government, they need to accept ‘the state’ is not the same as ‘the party’
THE turning of the year is a time of ritual. Families cleave together, communities genuinely commune, strangers are greeted like old friends, resolutions are made. An important part of that New Year ritual is the desire to look forward, to leave the past behind, to contemplate what might be, rather than ruminate on what might have been. for more click here
PLANS to take control of firearms law and impose an airgun ban north of the border have been blocked by UK ministers, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, in a letter leaked to Scotland on Sunday, has told SNP ministers she will not hand over gun laws, slapping down the change as “confusing and potentially damaging”. for more click here