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May 11th, 2008, 12:49 PM
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a Scotsman, has said that he will ensure that Scotland does not gain independence.
The PM seems to have the people on his side. The most recent polls show that 69% of people in the UK are against Scotland seceding from the Union and only 24% want England and Scotland to separate. Two-thirds of Scots also seem to want to remain as part of the UK.
Despite this, the PM also says he does not want England to have its own parliament, despite the Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland having their own, albeit with less powers than the British parliament at Westminster.
Gordon Brown won't let Union split
Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor
10/05/2008
Daily Mail
Gordon Brown has vowed to do "whatever is necessary" to preserve the United Kingdom in the wake of a bruising battle over a referendum on Scottish independence.
Wendy Alexander, Labour Party leader in Scotland, challenged the Scottish Nationalists to bring forward their plans for a referendum on Scottish independence
Giving his most impassioned defence yet of the link between Scotland and England, the Prime Minister told the Telegraphthat he was calling for pro-Union parties in Britain, as well as businesses, to join together to "expose the dangers of separation".
His words came at the end of a week in which Labour – already suffering from this month's disastrous local election results and well behind the Conservatives in the opinion polls – was scarred by damaging internal divisions over a Scottish referendum.
Wendy Alexander, Labour's leader in the Scottish parliament and a long-standing political ally of Mr Brown, surprised politicians on both sides of the border by challenging the Scottish Nationalists, who are in power in Scotland, to bring forward their plans for a public vote on independence.
Mr Brown was forced to deny that she had made a call for a referendum. He insisted no policy decision could be made until after a review of the 10 year-old devolution settlement.
In his interview, the Prime Minister said: "I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the stability and maintenance of the Union. I will do anything and everything to ensure that the case for the Union, which has served Britain and the British people so well, is properly heard and advanced."
He described Miss Alexander, whose political future had been in doubt, as an "excellent leader of Labour in the Scottish parliament" and said: "I want all Unionist parties and all parts of business – employers, managers and trade unions – to work together not only to push the case for the Union but to expose the dangers of separation.
"Some issues are bigger than party politics and need to be addressed in the common interest," he said. He was personally "not persuaded" of the case for holding a referendum, a form of words which puts some distance between him and Miss Alexander.
He accused the SNP of a "transparent attempt to manipulate the political system for purely partisan political purposes".
Polls give mixed messages about views of the Union. An ICM survey for the Telegraph last December showed that 69 per cent of people wanted to keep it while only 24 per cent wanted England and Scotland to separate. But 48 per cent believed it would survive a maximum of 25 years.
The main political parties in England want the Union to continue. However, Conservative policy chiefs have floated plans for an English grand committee at Westminster to allow only MPs from England to discuss issues that solely affect constituencies south of the border.
With Alex Salmond, the SNP leader and Scotland's First Minister, and David Cameron in his sights, Mr Brown said: "We need to fight attempts to break up Britain from nationalists on one hand, and the dangers of attempting to create a separate English parliament on the other."
He said at least two-thirds of voters in Scotland had "consistently" backed non-separatist parties in elections to the Edinburgh-based parliament, as well as in general elections. The Prime Minister said he believed voters in England would back the Union, "which has served Britain well for more than 300 years".
There were signs in Scotland on Saturday night that Labour and the SNP had stepped back from the brink, with little likelihood of an explosive referendum before 2010 at the earliest.
telegraph.co.uk
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a Scotsman, has said that he will ensure that Scotland does not gain independence.
The PM seems to have the people on his side. The most recent polls show that 69% of people in the UK are against Scotland seceding from the Union and only 24% want England and Scotland to separate. Two-thirds of Scots also seem to want to remain as part of the UK.
Despite this, the PM also says he does not want England to have its own parliament, despite the Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland having their own, albeit with less powers than the British parliament at Westminster.
Gordon Brown won't let Union split
Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor
10/05/2008
Daily Mail
Gordon Brown has vowed to do "whatever is necessary" to preserve the United Kingdom in the wake of a bruising battle over a referendum on Scottish independence.
Wendy Alexander, Labour Party leader in Scotland, challenged the Scottish Nationalists to bring forward their plans for a referendum on Scottish independence
Giving his most impassioned defence yet of the link between Scotland and England, the Prime Minister told the Telegraphthat he was calling for pro-Union parties in Britain, as well as businesses, to join together to "expose the dangers of separation".
His words came at the end of a week in which Labour – already suffering from this month's disastrous local election results and well behind the Conservatives in the opinion polls – was scarred by damaging internal divisions over a Scottish referendum.
Wendy Alexander, Labour's leader in the Scottish parliament and a long-standing political ally of Mr Brown, surprised politicians on both sides of the border by challenging the Scottish Nationalists, who are in power in Scotland, to bring forward their plans for a public vote on independence.
Mr Brown was forced to deny that she had made a call for a referendum. He insisted no policy decision could be made until after a review of the 10 year-old devolution settlement.
In his interview, the Prime Minister said: "I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the stability and maintenance of the Union. I will do anything and everything to ensure that the case for the Union, which has served Britain and the British people so well, is properly heard and advanced."
He described Miss Alexander, whose political future had been in doubt, as an "excellent leader of Labour in the Scottish parliament" and said: "I want all Unionist parties and all parts of business – employers, managers and trade unions – to work together not only to push the case for the Union but to expose the dangers of separation.
"Some issues are bigger than party politics and need to be addressed in the common interest," he said. He was personally "not persuaded" of the case for holding a referendum, a form of words which puts some distance between him and Miss Alexander.
He accused the SNP of a "transparent attempt to manipulate the political system for purely partisan political purposes".
Polls give mixed messages about views of the Union. An ICM survey for the Telegraph last December showed that 69 per cent of people wanted to keep it while only 24 per cent wanted England and Scotland to separate. But 48 per cent believed it would survive a maximum of 25 years.
The main political parties in England want the Union to continue. However, Conservative policy chiefs have floated plans for an English grand committee at Westminster to allow only MPs from England to discuss issues that solely affect constituencies south of the border.
With Alex Salmond, the SNP leader and Scotland's First Minister, and David Cameron in his sights, Mr Brown said: "We need to fight attempts to break up Britain from nationalists on one hand, and the dangers of attempting to create a separate English parliament on the other."
He said at least two-thirds of voters in Scotland had "consistently" backed non-separatist parties in elections to the Edinburgh-based parliament, as well as in general elections. The Prime Minister said he believed voters in England would back the Union, "which has served Britain well for more than 300 years".
There were signs in Scotland on Saturday night that Labour and the SNP had stepped back from the brink, with little likelihood of an explosive referendum before 2010 at the earliest.
telegraph.co.uk
