Published: April 2, 2008 (Yes OK but Tartan Day was 6th April - within 48 hours, OK?)
The political leader of Scotland told a packed crowd at the University of Virginia on Tuesday that his nation deserves independence from Britain.
During his appearance in the Dome Room of the Rotunda, Alex Salmond, first minister of Scotland, praised Thomas Jefferson’s principles of self-governance and liberty, saying they underscore his argument that Scotland should secede and become its own country.
“Today, within the present constitutional arrangement, we do our utmost to improve the lives of the people of Scotland,” Salmond said. “And we know that, tomorrow, with full responsibility for our destiny, Scotland can become an even better nation. Our people more free, more prosperous and more secure. That is our vision. It’s not too different from the vision that Thomas Jefferson showed America in the Declaration of Independence.”
The British Embassy did not return a call Tuesday for comment. Many people in Britain oppose Scotland’s secession, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, himself a Scot. According to the BBC, Brown has said that the United Kingdom would suffer economically and culturally without Scotland.
Salmond, who was elected last year, is the head of the Scottish National Party and is an advocate for a Scotland-wide referendum on independence in 2010. He visited UVa as part of a tour of the United States to promote the first Scotland Week, which started Sunday and highlights Scottish academic, business and cultural accomplishments.
Salmond’s visit marked the 10-year anniversary of the U.S. Senate’s passage of its Tartan Day Resolution that acknowledged that Scotland’s Declaration of Arbroath may have helped inspire the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Arbroath, sealed in 1320, stated that Scotland was independent from England and that Robert the Bruce was the true king of Scotland. The document is believed to be Europe’s statement of a contractual relationship between the government and the governed. If the Scottish king failed to protect the rights of his citizens, the document says, the people have the right to remove the monarch.
The Declaration of Arbroath presaged the Declaration of Independence by 450 years. It is fitting, Salmond said, that American ideals were inspired by Scotland, just as Scotland is now inspired by America principles in its drive for independence.
“It is to America that we can look to see the power of independence and the importance of democratic principles,” he said. “It is therefore to Thomas Jefferson that we can legitimately look for guidance on the principles and conduct of our national debate. And it is the words of Thomas Jefferson that will inspire today and in the years ahead: ‘We are capable of self-government, and worthy of it.’”
