Is it time for English independence, asks Alex Salmond. The First Minister of Scotland, who is leading the campaign to have Scotland leave the Union, was in London to give a New Statesman lecture last night when he suggested it was high time Albion reconsidered its own position.
Salmond gave a masterful performance on why Scotland would rise in status if it were to vote for independence in September and quoted LSE professor Tony Travers, who said that London, sucking all the economic energy from the country, was like “a dark star”. Salmond’s independent Scotland would, in contrast, be “a Northern light”.
And then, after his speech at One Birdcage Walk, he moved on to the subject of England during the Q&A with New Statesman editor Jason Cowley.
“I was once asked by Jeremy Paxman about a lot of people not believing in the idea of independence and I said back to him, ‘Quite right that a country has doubts about self-governance and its ability to be independent but in my estimation the English people are well capable of it’.”
Very funny, Alex — you have to hand it to him, the Scottish Nationalist has good comic timing. But it turned out that he was serious.
“It was not just a glib reply to Paxman,” said Salmond. “It is actually absolutely true of this country, of all countries. This country has a reservoir... this country is so much better than the Westminster Government. It’s simply so much better. It [Scottish independence] might well provide the catalyst. I hope it will.”
