Australian Premier Tony Abbott had told The Times newspaper those who wanted independence and break-up of the United Kingdom were "not the friends of justice …. or freedom."
First Minister Alex Salmond reacted to his words on BBC Scotland: "Mr Abbott's comments are hypocritical because independence does not seem to have done Australia any harm."
The referendum on Scottish independence will be held September 18, threatening a union that has lasted for 305 years.
Abbott said earlier on Saturday: "What the Scots do is a matter for the Scots and not for a moment do I presume to tell Scottish voters which way they should vote.
"But as a friend of Britain, as an observer from afar, it's hard to see how the world would be helped by an independent Scotland.
"I think that the people who would like to see the break-up of the United Kingdom are not the friends of justice, the friends of freedom, and the countries that would cheer at the prospect... are not the countries whose company one would like to keep."
Salmond said Saturday that Abbott’s comments were "offensive" to the Scottish people.
"They are foolish, actually, because of the way he said it. To say the people of Scotland who supported independence weren't friends of freedom or justice, I mean, the independence process is about freedom and justice.
"If it does anything it will persuade people to vote yes because the natural reaction to this sort of nonsense is 'Who is Mr Abbott to lecture Scots on freedom and justice?'"
This is not the first time a foreign leader has made comments about the up-coming Scottish referendum. Last month, U.S. President Barack Obama said he had an interest in seeing the U.K. "united."
www.aa.com.tr/en
16/8/14
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Umfrage zu Schottlands Unabhängigkeit: Der 51-Prozent-Schock...
ReplyDeleteDie Umfrage, die die "Sunday Times" wenige Stunden später veröffentlichte, sorgte tatsächlich für Panikanfälle in London. Zum ersten Mal in dem zweieinhalbjährigen Wahlkampf will eine Mehrheit der Schotten sich von Großbritannien abspalten. 51 Prozent wollen bei dem Referendum am 18. September für ein unabhängiges Schottland stimmen. 49 Prozent sind dagegen. Das ergab die neue Umfrage des Meinungsforschungsinstituts YouGov.
Es ist nur eine einzige Umfrage, doch sie wurde in der britischen Hauptstadt sehr ernst genommen. Laut "Observer" wollen die drei etablierten britischen Parteien, Torys, Labour und Liberaldemokraten, den Schotten nun ein weitreichendes Angebot machen, um sie zum Bleiben zu bewegen. Man werde in den kommenden Tagen eine Ankündigung machen, zitiert das Blatt einen ungenannten Minister der Regierung von Premier David Cameron.
Gedacht ist laut "Observer" an eine Versammlung aller politischen Kräfte im Königreich, die Schottland mehr Selbstverwaltung, vor allem in Steuerfragen, zugestehen soll. Die Konferenz soll noch vor der Unterhauswahl im Mai 2015 stattfinden.....................http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/umfrage-in-schottland-erstmals-mehrheit-fuer-unabhaengigkeit-a-990270.html
UK to give Scotland more powers if shuns independence: Osborne....
DeleteReuters) - Britain's government will set out plans in the coming days to give Scotland more autonomy on tax, spending and welfare if it rejects independence in a referendum on Sept. 18, British finance minister George Osborne said on Sunday.
Osborne was speaking to BBC television after supporters of Scottish independence took their first opinion poll lead since the referendum campaign began.
"You will see in the next few days a plan of action to give more powers to Scotland, more tax powers, more spending powers, more .... powers over the welfare state and ... that will be put into effect the moment there is a 'no' vote in the referendum," he said...............http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/07/us-scotland-independence-osborne-idUSKBN0H207820140907?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
Scottish referendum: Shock new poll says Scots set to vote for independence...
ReplyDeleteThe people of Scotland are to be offered a historic opportunity to devise a federal future for their country before next year's general election, it emerged on Saturday night, as a shock new poll gave the campaign for independence a narrow lead for the first time.
Amid signs of panic and recrimination among unionist ranks about the prospects of a yes vote on 18 September, the Observer has learned that a devolution announcement designed to halt the nationalist bandwagon is due to be made within days by the anti-independence camp.
The plan, in the event of a no vote, is that people from all parts of Scottish society – rather than just politicians – would be invited to take part in a Scottish conference or convention that would decide on further large-scale transfers of power from London to Holyrood....................http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/06/scots-radical-new-deal-save-the-union
7/9/14