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Playing into SNP's hands



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Published Date: 21 August 2008
I have lost count of the number of times Labour and Liberal Democrat leadership contenders have spoken out against "independence" in newspaper, TV and radio interviews. And it baffles me: not the fact that they oppose it – but, rather, that they're all daft enough to keep using that instinctively, even, subconsciously, appealing word.
In our personal lives, whether young or old, "independence" means individual freedom (and who in their right mind could object to that?) but politically it means secession, partition, separatism, divorce, quitting the Union.

So shouldn't opponents of "independence" endeavour to use negative terms such as these whenever possible instead of playing into Nationalist hands by sounding as if they object to liberty?

And is it really too much to ask that journalists – apparently aiming for objectivity – employ a neutral term such as "constitutional change" when discussing this issue?

KEITH GILMOUR

Balmoral Drive

Bearsden, Glasgow



The full article contains 151 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 20 August 2008 9:26 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

a proud doonhamer,

Dumfries 21/08/2008 00:50:32
And we could demand that they no longer refer to Scotland but "the northern regions of the United Kingdom"

Juan Kerr is alive and well.
2

pehman,

sussex 21/08/2008 03:32:28

Well here's one Independence supporter who's proud to be a sepratist.

When a "partnership" has proven to have failed, the only sensible thing to do is to break it off and start again
3

Colin Wilson,

Aberdeen 21/08/2008 06:28:28
I personally prefer to call it "political renormalisation", but I accept that's a bit long-winded for the media.
4

McNasty,

Edinburgh 21/08/2008 06:48:37
The silly billies do not realise they can never stop the will of the Scottish people, just delay it.
5

wayne bijlyeerheid,

21/08/2008 08:02:03
Yes, it is hard to counter the attraction of independence.
Especially when the Labour and Liberal parties have been in favour of it for everyone but the Scots.

6

Richardinho,

21/08/2008 08:14:08
The numpty of Balmoral drive in Bearsden seems to think you can forestall independence just by using a different word to describe independence. (Obviously he is completely blind to the fact that the unionist rabble have been referring to 'separatism' for years.)
He and other unionists would do better to try and argue their case on merit rather than indulge in the dubious Orwellian practise of 'news-speak'.
Clearly the Balmoral Drive numpty thinks the Scottish electorate must be fools to falls for his feeble plan.
7

Spoot,

Third rock pool on the left 21/08/2008 08:42:03
Independence - the concept that dare not speak its name. How daft can you get?
8

A Scott,

Gllasgow 21/08/2008 09:21:20
Is this guy for real.????
9

Mr. Lachie Todd,

Edinburgh 21/08/2008 09:38:30
It is estimated that soon fifty percent of the population will become divorced. Some couples contemplating divorce have been married for many years, whilst others, only a few years. Some have been separated for many years before eventually taking the final step and divorcing. For whatever reason the unions failed.

Logically, they would never have separated, IF theirs' had been a happy union and fully acceptable to both partners. Marriage has it's ups and downs but most happily married couples would never even consider separation, or the finality of divorce!

Upon divorce, some partners are amicably resigned to splitting their assets and liabilities between them and starting afresh, whilst others enter proceedings full of rancour and bitterness to prevent the other benefiting from the final separation.

IF, Scotland's Union with the rest of the U.K. is really happy and acceptable why is a Nationalist Government in power at Holyrood?

10

shivago8,

livingston 21/08/2008 10:07:37
You have used the right word DAFT,thats what they are
11

Alastair the First,

21/08/2008 12:40:32
How do stupid letters like this one get printed? Unionist politicians DO use perjorative terms, all the time. In fact what we should be calling for is for them to use the term independence and STOP using ridiculous terms such as "separatism" (what an artificial and patently made up word!), and stop this nonsense about "divorce", "ripping apart", etc etc.

The Scotsman seems to be selecting a whole series of ridiculous letters to print recently, and this is one of them. Although I wonder if it was really penned by A N McKay...

 

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