United Kingdom Without Scotland Would Be ‘Deeply Diminished’, Says PM Cameron
The existence of the United Kingdom as we know it, is at risk if voters in Scotland don’t choose to remain part of the union, PM David Cameron pleaded with Scots in an emotional address Friday.
In a departure from dire warnings of financial and legal difficulties for Scotland, should they become independent, the Prime Minister said, “We want you to stay.”
Cameron chose the Olympic Park in east London — the site of the 2012 London Summer Olympics — for his major address to the people of Scotland and their decision to hold a referendum as to whether the country will remain a part of the United Kingdom.
The influence the Scots had in the success of Team G.B. (Great Britain) was highlighted when Scottish tennis player Andy Murray won the gold medal — for the first time since 1908 — in an emotional final against arch rival Roger Federer. Murray has said he favors remaining with the United Kingdom.
In an excerpt provided to journalists Cameron reflects:
“For me, the best thing about the Olympics wasn’t the winning. It was the red, the white, the blue. It was the summer that patriotism came out of the shadows and into the sun, everyone cheering as one for Team G.B.”
The Prime Minister talked about a “powerful” United Kingdom and how that led the nation to one of the most successful Olympic Games in their history and he added that an independent Scotland would diminish the stance of the country in the eyes of the world and ‘rip the rug from under our own reputation.’
Cameron used the same argument that the United Kingdom is using to stay as part of the European Union, despite many that want to go back to being an independent country.
The British leader said that even thought the final decision rests with the Scots, the 63 million people who make the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — will be affected by their choice.
David Cameron also used to the social network Twitter to make his case for Scotland staying with the Union:
Olympic Velodrome just one place Scots contributed so much to TeamGB. We want you to stay. We are #BetterTogether. pic.twitter.com/Nc41wFtDt0
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) February 7, 2014
On September 18, about four million Scottish citizens 16-years of age and older, will be allowed to vote in the referendum. Scots living outside the country cannot take part in the decision.
Scotland’s deputy first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said in a statement:
“This is a cowardly speech from a prime minister who uses the Olympic Park in London to give highhanded lectures against Scotland’s independence but hasn’t got the guts to come to Scotland or anywhere else to make his case in a head-to-head debate.”
“David Cameron, as the Tory prime minister, is the very embodiment of the democratic case for a ‘yes’ vote for an independent Scotland — and he knows it.
In early polls, a majority of Scots were in favor of remaining as part of the United Kingdom, however, the tide seems to have changed recently and the outcome is uncertain, with more entertaining the idea of an independent Scotland.
