Alex Salmond: Nationality

Alex Salmond is Scottish National Party politician and former First Minister of Scotland. Explore interesting quotes on nationality.

Alex Salmond: 366 quotes2 likes

“This Parliament exists - and always will - to serve the people and to provide national leadership which reflects their hopes, addresses their fears and raises their aspirations. It is a Parliament which the people demanded. It is also a Parliament of which the people make demands.”

Third Session of Parliament (June 30, 2007)

“Whatever else we can say about this referendum campaign, we have touched sections of the community who've never before been touched by politics. These sections of the community have touched us and touched the political process. I don't think that will ever be allowed to go back to business as usual in politics again. So friends, sometimes it's best to reflect where we are on a journey. 45 per cent, 1.6 million of our fellow citizens voting for independence, I don't think that any of us whenever we entered politics would have thought such a thing to be either credible or possible. Today of all days as we bring Scotland together let us not dwell on the distance we have fallen short. Let us dwell on the distance we have travelled and have confidence that the movement is so broad in Scotland that it will take this nation forward and we shall go forward as one nation. Thank you very much.”

Speech http://news.scotland.gov.uk/Speeches-Briefings/First-Minister-on-referendum-outcome-106a.aspx at Dynamic Earth (19 September 2014).

“I believe in the restoration of an independent Scotland. Others in this chamber take a different view. I welcome that debate and the national conversation to follow. The challenge for all of us is to have that conversation with dignity, with respect and with substance.”

Third Session of Parliament (June 30, 2007)

“Such are the joys of national leadership!”

Principles and Priorities : Programme for Government (September 5, 2007)

“We see barriers to business as barriers to national progress.”

Strategic objectives of new Government (May 23, 2007)

“Scotland has a global identity. We have always been internationalists, looking beyond our shores for ideas, influences and ways that we can enrich others. Scotland has deep ties of kinship and history with the Commonwealth. And the Scots Diaspora has a prominent place in the history of the United States, Canada and many nations.”

Vision for Scotland in the European Union (December 12, 2007)

“It is essential that we stress the importance of St Andrews Day to our children - to ensure that they grow up with a full appreciation of their rich heritage and what it means to be Scottish - confident and secure in their national identity and their place in the world.”

Source: St Andrew's Day (November 30, 2007)

“Our national story has its full share of grief and pain as well as triumph and expectation. But through it all, hope remains and dreams do not die.”

Third Session of Parliament (June 30, 2007)

“Like any internationalist, I embrace Scotland's interdependence and the advantages that such interdependence confers. But in international relations - perhaps even more than the economic sphere - there are major advantages to pursuing an independent policy that promotes Scotland's global interests. Indeed it precisely because we live in an interdependent world - one where markets are integrating and information flow is unstoppable - a world where the reality of climate change acts as a daily reminder of our reliance on each other - that independence matters. Interdependence is a welcome fact of modern global politics. What matters in the Scottish national interest - above all else - are the terms on which Scotland engages. The equality of esteem, of authority between nations matters more now than it has ever done.”

Scotland in the World Forum (February 4, 2008)

“I believe it is through independence that we can do most to help our nation to flourish, to improve our quality of life.”

Citizens Advice Bureaux (August 15, 2007)

“Ten years ago, alongside the return of the Book of Deer, I was arguing strongly for the return of the Lewis chessmen to Scotland. Sadly this campaign is as yet incomplete. Of the ninety-three pieces known to us today, the National Museum of Scotland holds only eleven. The other eighty-two remain in the British Museum in London. I still find it utterly unacceptable that the Lewis chessmen are scattered around Britain in a bizarre parody of the Barnett Formula. And you can be assured that I will continue campaigning for a united set of Lewis chessmen in an independent Scotland!”

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Lecture (December 19, 2007)

“It is unacceptable that eight of the ten areas in the UK with the lowest life expectancy are in Glasgow. And it is surely a matter of national scandal that life expectancy in war torn Iraq remains higher than in some areas of the largest city in Scotland.”

Principles and Priorities : Programme for Government (September 5, 2007)