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Brown warns of 'dangerous drift' threatening to break Union

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Published Date: 13 January 2007
GORDON BROWN today warned that the Union of England and Scotland is under threat.
The Chancellor spoke of his fears of a "dangerous drift" to separatism in anewspaper piece to mark the tercentenary of the two parliaments merging in 1707.

Mr Brown defended the idea of Britishness amid signs that the Scottish National Party woul
d perform well in the forthcoming Holyrood elections.

And he rejected calls for English laws to be decided by English MPs alone now that devolution has been brought in.

The Chancellor's intervention will be seen as further evidence of his concern over being seen as "too Scottish" if, as expected, he succeeds Tony Blair later this year.

"It is now time for supporters of the union to speak up," Mr Brown wrote.

He added: "Regrettably, an opportunist coalition of minority Nationalists and what used to be the Conservative and Unionist party is forming around a newly-fashionable but perilous orthodoxy emphasising what divides us rather than what unites."

Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said the union needed "modernised" and there was more to be gained in common purpose than by separatism.

He said: "Gordon Brown is right to highlight the 'Faustian' bargain between the nationalists and the Tories. They may have different motives but their actions will lead to the same conclusion, the break-up of the union."



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  • Last Updated: 13 January 2007 10:34 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: The union
 
1

Cabguyken,

Edinburgh 13/01/2007 12:59:45

I wonder if Mr Brown's love affair with the Union has anything to do with the fact that without its legion of Scottish slave MP's at Westminster, the Labour Party would have slim hopes of forming a UK Government again???

2

Allan (Glasgow),

13/01/2007 14:20:21

Yes it's a great Union when he is concerned at being perceived as "too Scottish". Union of equals? Dont make me laugh.

3

Royster,

13/01/2007 14:48:26

#3. That's right. The Scots are over-represented.

4

Callum,

Edinburgh 13/01/2007 14:56:51

Scotland must look forward to the future. Scotland will be better of under SNP. Number 3 is right.

Vote SNP in May

5

bill, england,

13/01/2007 15:17:37

He is speaking out of pure self-interest. If SNP win and Scotland becomes independent his career will go down the tubes, where it belongs.

6

Sheikh,

Dubai 13/01/2007 16:10:36

Of course out friends in the labour party do not want Scotland to have Independence. If that happened Labour would be out of power in England. The majority of their ( Labour ) Power base at present is in Scotland. Mr Brown is stuck between a Rock and Hard place. The Scots do not want him because he is Scottish / British or what ever and the English are turning against him because he is Scottish.

7

Allan (Glasgow),

13/01/2007 16:44:47

4

Nonsense.

We are supposed to be a Union of equals. How can this be the case when when his country of birth, Scotland, is considered to be a electoral disadvantage?!!

8

Faye,

Scotland 13/01/2007 17:22:50

#8. I really don't want the UK broken up but I think you are right.

If we are to be a Union of equals why is Scotland always the testing ground for failed policies?

The real money is South of the border - London, Birmingham, Manchester - even the Northern English regions are left out in this UNITED Kingdom!

If Scotland does well it is only because of an influx of money from the South of England - those speculating on making more money out of houses.

Gordon Brown's a nice guy but sadly he has aligned himself too close to Blair and the PFI thing is an absolute disaster but.... it is Brown's idea!

Alex Salmond is well liked by the Scots but the big worry is his love affair with wind turbines.

He (like the others) wants to put Scotland under concrete and ruin our tourist industry.

Where's the choice for Scots who care about Scotland and its tourism trade?

With large sums being given to multinationals who then buzz off, Scotland really needs to take control and ensure that it's citizens are properly protected from what is nothing other than fraud.

Large business should not be allowed to take millions of pounds of tax payers money and then run.

Will Alex Salmond and an Independent Scotland change that?

Will it be a party that listens to the people? None of the others seem to be listening do they?

9

I'm no really here,

13/01/2007 17:39:10

Remember a few days ago there was a headline "Brown keen to show how Green he is".

10

ianpg,

Edinburgh 13/01/2007 18:53:24

Let's be honest, the UK is in a worse state since UK labour got in with the help of Scottish MP's. Although I'm Scottish, I can't blame the English for wanting rid of us. We want full independence when we can't get things half right on our own. It fills me with dread to remotely think about giving our numpty MSP's even more power. God help us all!!

11

morris,

edinburgh 13/01/2007 19:49:54

9
Faye If you had the choice between having to look at some wind turbines on Rannoch Moor and having the worlds first radio active children which would you choose?
You had better realise that you are facing this choice potentially,and if you think a few turbines will ruin our tourism whlist having Trident and nuclear power stations and dumps galore makes us more attractive Im glad your not in charge of tourism!
11 The numpties are confined to the Labour Party and they are the second team which didnt make the grade to be a Westminster numpty. The facty that Unionist governments have ignored Scotland or at best used her is NOT an argument for retention of the Union! Its categorical proof if any were needed that we should remove gormless Broon asap!
The only way Scotland can ever guarantee that she gets a government of her own choosing is INDEPENDENCE because its arithmetically impossible in a Union of nations when one is ten times the size of the other !
We are talking about a country who voted Labour to avoid Thatcher.It failed abysmally and having established that it couldnt work,they continued doing so for another 18 years! The Labour party in Scotland are a bunch of quislings who have their snouts firmly in the trough,and are on a gravy train, and they KNOW that they are lying to the people to line their own pockets., whilst being promised front bench jobs at Westminster (and higher salaries) for selling their nation and people down the river.Nobody suggests giving the numpties more power! WE suggest kicking them out on their Unionsit a*ses!

12

Richard Walker,

13/01/2007 21:40:25

Will Scotland also separate from that democratic Institution called the EU with its unelected 12 commissioners? Or do you just hate the english?

Will the SNP nationalise all the oil assets held by the american oil companies?

13

Parallax,

Hong Kong, China 13/01/2007 23:29:23

My family left Scotland, in the 1600's, so I must write as an outsider that was born in USA's, mainly Scottish populated, Appalachian mountains.
*
If Scotland were to split from England:
~It would invite tremendous international investment that is not presently coming to the UK that would be open to England's investors.
~ Many of us would return with a life's earnings to die peacefully in Scotland.
~ Prices in Scotland would become equal to the world's economy. UK is presently furtherest out on high side.
~ The relations between England and Scotland might get like USA and Canada.
~Donald Trump may even build a castle on the Isle of Lewis: the home of his mother (Mary MacLeod).
~ Scottish banking, using the Euro, could become a world standard.
~ Currently Scotland is riding high as a prime tourist destination with a low crime rate, a ready to work population and tremendous amounts of open land. The time for a Change would be the present.
~~ Generally there's far more benefits from a change, for both sides, than the 'nothing' that will happen if remaining the same.

14

Joe M.,

Edinburgh 14/01/2007 02:13:38

Brown is probably the worst possible candidate to save the union since he is obviously driven by naked self interest.

This is the man who will pretend to support England if he thinks it will get him a few votes honesty from him about Scottish independence is never going to happen.

People know he will lie about the figures till the cows come home. Amusingly his lies are coming back to haunt him however because the english want to get rid of the imaginary burden the scots supposedly pose to their economy! Ha ha ha! Hoisted by your own petard.

15

Royster,

14/01/2007 15:23:06

#14. I think you may be looking at Scotland through rose-tinted spectacles here. If I were you, I'd hold on to your cash and keep it in the US, you are at least familiar with that country. By the way:

a) Scottish banking is already world-standard.
b) Donald Trump would need planning permission to build a castle on the Isle of Lewis (thank God).
c) low crime rate?
d) Money normally goes where it gets the best return.

Also, what are your views on New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and California being returned to Mexico?

16

Royster,

14/01/2007 15:26:10

#9. I suppose the SNP could begin some kind of Chavez social revolution and nationalisation. They don't sem to be too far apart politically.

17

Steve,

14/01/2007 18:11:04

I'm voting SNP this time. I dont see what we gain from being a forgotten nation in an unbalanced union. We are just as capable of running our affairs as any other country. Time for us to grow up as a country, and take responsibility for our own future.


 

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