 |
NOTE-- due to regulations set by the Labour party in London
Only persons with the right to vote in the UK may contribute directly
to the SNP. Supporters who have no vote in the UK are asked to
contribute to our North America Fund, the income from which is retained
in North America to support awareness-raising there about Scotland and
the SNP.
Welcome to the tenth edition of the Scottish National Party's e-mail
newsletter for North American supporters.
We are indebted to those supporters who responded to our appeal to lobby
their Congress Representatives and Senators on the US Department of
Trade's proposals to increase the duty on "luxury" goods from 6% to 100%
in retaliation for Europe's decision to ban imports of bananas from
Latin America.
As you will know this will severely affect the jobs and livelihoods of
those in the Scottish Cashmere and Shortbread industry - two products
which have been earmarked for 100% duty. The SNP President's appeal to
the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and the US Trade
Representative was covered in the Washington Times and we hope that the
decision can be reversed. We will keep you updated on the situation.
SCOTTISH OPINION POLLS - STILL NECK AND NECK
Current opinion polls are still showing a close fight in the battle for
the Scottish Parliament with all to play for.
A MORI poll published in the Sunday Herald showed that the Scottish
National Party would win 49 seats for the Scottish Parliament, compared
to Labour's 56 (with the SNP at 38% on the first question to Labour's
43%, and 37% on the second to Labour's 39%.
Commenting on this particular poll the SNP's Chief Executive, Mike
Russell, said: "This is a good poll for Scotland's Party, the SNP, and a
good poll for Scotland. There is everything to play for in the Scottish
Parliament election, and the SNP are playing to win."
Another poll in the Daily Record newspaper showed a net SNP lead
overall, with an eight point lead on the second question. The full
results were:
Short-term Long-term
1st Qn 2nd Qn 1st Qn 2nd Qn
SNP 36.9% 40.5% 38% 39.6%
Labour 39.6% 32.8% 37% 31.4%
Liberal 9.9% 13.7% 10% 14.3%
Tory 13.4% 12.4% 13% 12.7%
Note: The Daily Record/Scottish Opinion survey has been running on a
cumulative basis since the end of November (long-term poll), and also
includes the findings over the last two weeks (short-term poll). In
other words, on the long-term poll over the winter months, the SNP are
ahead on both questions. And on the short-term poll, a narrow Labour
lead on the first question is overturned by an eight per cent SNP lead
on the second question.
Commenting on the polls overall Mike Russell said: "The polls
illustrates the total failure of London Labour's 'Natbashing' campaign.
The SNP are on a positive agenda, and rolling out our strong policy
ideas for the Scottish Parliament. We have already detailed our
policies for land reform, water, tourism, and enterprise, with housing,
education and health set to follow in the run-up to our conference next
month.
"As the policy roll-out proceeds - and Scots like what we offer -
support will continue to shift in our favour."
SALMOND FAVOURITE TO BE FIRST MINISTER - SURVEY
A television Teletext survey, conducted just after a head-to-head debate
between Alex Salmond and Labour's Donald Dewar, which asked people
whether they thought Alex Salmond or Donald Dewar was favourite to be
First Minister in the Scottish Parliament, and found 82 per cent support
for Mr Salmond and just 18 per cent support for Mr Dewar. Responding to
the survey the Scottish National Party's Vice-Convener for Publicity Ms
Nicola Sturgeon said:
"This is an excellent result for the SNP. It follows on from the
Scotsman debate between Alex Salmond and Donald Dewar, and confirms that
Alex won the contest.
"While the Teletext survey is not a scientific poll, it does reflect
focus group research which also awarded victory in the debate to Alex
Salmond.
"For example, the Scotland on Sunday focus group - comprising four
Labour voters, two Tories, and one SNP supporter - graded the two
leaders in a number of different categories, and found Alex the overall
winner by 60.7% to 58.5%.
"MAKING A RICH SOCIETY FROM A RICH COUNTRY" - SALMOND'S POSITIVE MESSAGE
IN HEAD-TO-HEAD DEBATE
At the head-to-head Scotsman newspaper debate between Alex Salmond and
Donald Dewar, Alex Salmond outlined the SNP's positive message of a rich
society. Making his opening contribution in the SNP Leader said:
"17 Months ago the people of Scotland voted by a massive majority for a
new Parliament. That was not a vote for any one Party, any one platform
or any one individual.
"It was an affirmation of confidence in Scotland as a nation.
"I believe that declaration had its roots in three factors which are
growing and which have continued to flourish since the referendum
campaign.
"Firstly, a realisation that Scots are just as gifted, just as confident
and just as talented as any other nation and therefore just as able to
govern ourselves.
"Secondly, that while Scotland is a rich country we are not yet a rich
society nor will we be until we fundamentally change some of our
priorities.
"I want to see a Scotland which judges itself on the strength of its
entrepreneurship, the excellence of its education and the compassion of
its health service.
"A Scotland which judges itself on performance not prestige.
"A Scotland that becomes an enriched society.
"Thirdly, there is a growing understanding that we as Scots have a new
future beckoning as a national entity within the wide and growing
European context and the best position to develop that relationship is
on a footing of equality with other nations.
"The response of New Labour to this fundamental development has been
instructive.
"Their basic plan is to "engender fear" to arrest this process - not my
words but those of one of their key strategists Douglas Alexander MP in
an internal memo leaked only a few days ago.
"In contrast our task in the SNP is to build on these developments and
create new hope to make further progress for Scotland.
"Tonight I wish to make three commitments to consolidate this process of
change.
"Firstly, the SNP will set out a constructive programme for
administering the Scottish Parliament, to be implemented if we are
chosen to lead the administration.
"As we move through this election campaign, we will roll out key
policies seeking to improve Scotland's position within the context of
the parliament's powers. In the last few weeks we have already pledged
to return the water industry to local democratic control, radical land
reform and - just today - a major boost for Scots tourism. Our
enterprise policy will be launched next week, our health, education and
housing policies will follow.
"Our Party Conference in four weeks time will complete this process.
"These will all be part of an entirely positive programme for Scotland's
benefit.
"Secondly, we will offer the people of Scotland an opportunity to move
on - to build on the parliament's powers if they so choose by means of a
referendum on Independence. Even with the powers that the Parliament has
been given it is heavily boxed in by Westminster control.
"I am sometimes asked: "What is the difference between devolution within
the UK and independence within Europe?" One key difference is that a
devolved parliament will control little over 10X of Scotland's revenue.
In contrast an independent parliament would control will over 95X. The
first is a parliament on a Westminster leash: the second represents real
independence and freedom of action.
"Thirdly, in everything we do we will reflect the interests of the
people of Scotland.
"We are Scotland's Party. We will act in Scotland's parliament. The SNP
will not take orders or instructions from anyone else bar the Scottish
people.
"When the Scots Parliament was adjourned 300 hundred years ago it was
described as "the end of an auld sang". During its last debate it was
said "that all nations are interdependent" one upon the other. "This
much we know" went on the speaker, but " Scotland should still make a
distinctive contribution to the world"
"Now, in this fast moving technological era, all nations are certainly
interdependent. We should welcome that.
"Today Scotland has again the opportunity to make a distinctive,
independent contribution.
"To develop a new song for this new age."
A DISTINCTIVE SCOTTISH VOICE ON INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
Speaking at the Foreign Press Association in London at the beginning of
February the Scottish National Party's External Affairs Spokesperson Mr
George Reid outlined the party's vision on international relations. He
said:
"The Parliament can discuss any issue, whether reserved or not. Prior to
EU Council of Ministers meetings, for example - where Edinburgh may well
have different priorities from London - there should be a full plenary
debate. Scottish Ministers attending the Council should make a statement
to the Parliament, and European officials should be questioned by its
Committees."
Mr Reid also outlined that the SNP had four main policy objectives in
the international area, "as part of the process of moving Scotland
towards Independence":
- A Department of External Affairs: with its own representative office
as the "eyes and ears" of Scotland in Brussels, this would develop close
links with European institutions and monitor the 300 or so pieces of EU
legislation which would come to the Parliament annually. "This is a
model which has been adopted by the Government of Flanders and endorsed
by the Scottish Council Foundation."
- Scottish External Affairs Offices: amalgamating the current offices of
Scottish Trade International, Locate in Scotland and the Scottish
Tourist Board, these would serve as "commercial and cultural missions"
with a mandate to "sell Scotland" overseas.
- The Council of the Isles: by developing Ministerial and Committee
links with the other parliaments and assemblies, the Scottish
Government, "would encourage the special relationship which will always
exist between the different nations and regions of our shared islands.
In time, we see the Council developing along similar lines to the Nordic
Union."
- Aid from Scotland: Parliamentary funding for a voluntary secretariat
to co-ordinate the work of Scottish agencies working overseas in the
relief and development field, to establish a roster of trained
volunteers, and to assist Scottish companies to supply this
$4,000-million annual market.
NO HOLIDAY FOR THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
Even although the new Scottish parliament will open on 1 July this year,
the first time for 300 years that such an event has taken place in
Scotland, there will be no national holiday to celebrate the day. A
proposal to declare the day a public holiday has been rejected by the
Labour party.
Commenting on Labour's veto Mr George Reid said:
"This is an extraordinary decision by Tony Blair. Restoring democracy to
Scotland after three hundred years without a parliament is surely one of
the best reasons for a national holiday there could possibly be. As
Scottish Office Devolution Minister Henry McLeish said last year, the
opening of the Scottish Parliament will be, 'a day for everyone to
celebrate'.
"As a cause for national celebration, a one-off holiday for one day in
three centuries isn't too much to ask for, and would reflect the
positive and enthusiastic way in which the Scottish people are
approaching the Parliament.
"Labour's approach, by contrast, is negative and grudging. They seem
almost to be in a state of denial about the significance of the Scottish
Parliament, and are seeking to deny Scots the opportunity to participate
in the opening day of the Parliament in an appropriate manner.
"However, if Labour won't mark 1 July as a public holiday - as
Scotland's Party, the SNP, want it to be, and most Scots assumed it
would be - then an incoming SNP administration would certainly explore
the possibility of designating it as a special one-off holiday."
SCOTTISH UNEMPLOYMENT UP AGAINST UK TREND
The latest unemployment figures show that the ILO-definition figures for
October-December 1998 increased by 9,000 in Scotland compared to the
same quarter in 1997, while unemployment fell by 98,000 over the same
period in the UK as a whole.
Labour moved over to the ILO-definition unemployment rate after years of
complaining that the claimant count had been fiddled by the Tories. The
current figures show that Scottish joblessness stands at 7.3 per cent:
the third worst among all the nations and regions of the UK.
The Scottish National Party's Enterprise Spokesperson Mr Alasdair Morgan
MP said:
"Scotland's unelected Industry Minister Lord Macdonald should be
accepting responsibility for this deteriorating situation and paying
more attention to his job - instead of attacking the SNP's positive
proposals to develop a more effective enterprise structure in Scotland,
which would create jobs.
"This is clear evidence that Labour's London-based policies are doing
real and disproportionate damage to the Scottish economy.
"Scotland has lost over 14,000 jobs in the past year. Manufacturing
industry is already in recession, with the fifth consecutive monthly
fall in output - the longest such period since 1979.
"Labour's economic policy holds out the prospect of only more of the
same, since the UK has the lowest growth rate in the European Union, but
also the highest interest rates.
"On output, growth, interest rates and jobs, Labour's London-based
economic policy is failing to meet the needs of the Scottish economy."
NEW SCOTTISH SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
Scottish Media Group - who own a number of other Scottish media outlets
including the Glasgow Herald - have launched a new Sunday paper called
The Sunday Herald.
SMG have claimed that the new publication enjoyed a successful first day
on the news-stands on Sunday, when it was the best-selling broadsheet in
Scotland. John Menzies, the country's largest newspaper wholesaler,
hailed the launch of the paper as a commercial success.
Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond said the paper was "a
welcome addition to the Scottish newspaper market". He added: "The first
edition was an enjoyable and varied read. This is an exciting time in
Scotland as we look forward to the new Parliament. The arrival of the
new paper will add to the diversity of Scottish public debate."
The newspaper is available on the net at http://www.sundayherald.com The
newspaper seems to be interested in interactivity -- most articles in
the print edition have the e-mail address of the writer under the
by-line. I would recommend people check it out.
ARTICLE OF INTEREST - JOHN WITHERSPOON
A prominent Scot who signed the American Declaration of Independence is
to be honoured in the town where is was a minister.
The Ayrshire town of Beith is planning to turn the buildings once owned
by John Witherspoon in the centre of the town into a major heritage
centre. A plaque to Witherspoon was unveiled on one of the buildings
earlier this month. Historic Scotland has also voiced its support for
the creation of a Conservation Area and financial backing from the
Heritage Lottery Fund is being sought.
Witherspoon, like many of those involved with the American Declaration
of Independence, was of Scottish. But it was the encouragement from the
Rev John Witherspoon, born in Gifford, East Lothian on 5 February, 1723
to the delegates to sign which persuaded a number of those who
hesitated.
After leaving Congress in 1782, Witherspoon was involved in the
rebuilding of Princeton College - he was its President from 1768-94.
Readers may also be interested in an article in the Scotsman newspaper
entitled "Preacher who inspired doubters to sign Declaration of
Independence" by Jim McBeth. Contact the above address for details
NETWORK NEWSGROUP WEBSITE
Our advisory group in North America has now set up its own website
thanks to Ewan Innes. Anyone wishing to visit the site can access it on
the following address: http://www.scottishhistory.com/snpnetwork.htm
If supporters wish to suggest some other ideas for what should be on the
site please contact the above address or Ewan on
ewan@scottishhistory.com
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Returning to our section on Articles of Interest in the papers the
following may be of interest.
The Sunday Herald had an article on the influence of the film Braveheart
entitled "Braveheart's unforgettable fire" by Geraldine Murray. There is
also an interesting article on a group of Canadian Indians visiting the
Orkney Isles where some of their ancestors hailed from. This is entitled
"Canadian Indians go back to Scots roots" by Kath Gourlay and was in the
Sunday Times Scotland. Finally we have an interesting article from the
Gazette in Montreal about national identity in the UK.
...AND FINALLY
With National Tartan Day coming in April we hope to have some news for
you concerning the events surrounding the holiday. Take care.
|