Douglas MacQueen's blog

Welsh politicians and Meri Hughes, the Language Commissioner in Wales have condemned an incident of blatant and dangerous discrimination against the Welsh speaking community. This was after the disgraceful actions by Morrisons Supermarket pharmacy counter in Bangor, north Wales, who refused to provide medication for a one year old baby because the prescription was written in both Welsh and English.

Reports from the ‘Scotsman’ newspaper states that the:

Highland Council is to receive £3 million over the next two years to build a new Gaelic school on Portree, on the Isle of Skye.

The announcement was made by Alasdair Allan, Scottish National Party member of Scotland’s Parliament for the constituency of ‘Na h-Eileanan an lar’ during a visit to the site for the new school.

As reported in the Scotsman Newspaper an Ipsos-Mori opinion poll shows a 3 per cent rise in support for a Yes vote in the forthcoming referendum. Scotland’s SNP Government has predicted that there will continue to be a shift in opinion in favour of independence as the referendum draws closer. The number of undecided voters continues to cause alarm in London and amongst the pro-union lobby.

At the Scottish National Party Conference in Perthshire, Scotland, Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland spoke to a packed and enthusiastic conference hall. Outlining a clear programme of gain for the Scottish people within an independent Scotland, he outlined the benefits for Scotland if people voted Yes to Scottish Independence.

Pontificating from his home in Essex, England, the leader of the English Democrat party, the self-styled English national party, Robin Tilbrook, stated that, “The census figures show that not many people are precious about declaring themselves as Cornish”! This is in reference to the recently released 2011 census in relation to how people in Cornwall define their national identity.

In promoting the increasingly outdated idea of being ‘British’, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is attempting to try and counter the latest census results. The recently released 2011 Census results of the island of Britain reveals that 62.4% of people in Scotland see themselves as solely Scottish and 57.5% in Wales as solely Welsh. Just 18.3% of people in Scotland declared themselves to be “Scottish and British identities only” and only 8.4% in Scotland saw themselves as “British identity only”.

Figures now released from the 2011 Census of Scotland have shown that a majority of the people of Scotland see themselves as Scottish only and not British. Responding to a question about nationality 62.4% said they saw themselves as “Scottish identity only”. Just 18.3% declared that they were “Scottish and British identities only”. Those who saw themselves as “British identity only” numbered only 8.4%.  

Thousands of pro-independence marchers took to the streets of Scotland’s Capital Edinburgh on Saturday 21 September. Organisers estimate that 20,000 to 30,000 people took part in the day’s successful activities culminating in a rally at Carlton Hill.

One of the speakers at the rally was Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. In front of a sea of Scottish flags and pro-independence banners he said:

Edinburgh, Saturday March 21 September, Rally For Independence.

The countdown is on for the March and Rally in favour of a Yes vote for an independent Scotland. To be held in Edinburgh on Saturday 21 September 2013. Assembling between 11am – 12pm at The High Street, Edinburgh the march will go to Carlton Hill where a Rally will be held. For details go to the website of the Rally for Scottish Independence organisers. www.independencerally.com