Alex Salmond to make case for independence at Centre for UN Studies
“Scotland’s period of ‘zero sum game politics’ must be brought to a close”
Former First Minister and Alba Party leader Alex Salmond is to make a key note speech this evening(Tuesday) titled 'The Road to Scottish Independence': Charting the course for a free Scotland on the International Stage.' at the Centre for UN Studies.
Mr Salmond will make the speech on a visit to the University of Buckingham tonight.
The University’s Centre for UN Studies has invited the ALBA leader to speak at the Vinson Centre this evening at 6pm.
Mr Salmond said:
“The core belief of the vast majority of Scottish nationalists is independence for our country. Not as an aspiration for the future but something to be delivered with urgency. The vision for an Independent Scotland that we seek is one which pushes social mobility and equality within Scotland and a country which works cooperatively within the international community - one that prioritises peace and humanitarian work, not foreign conquest and invasion.
“The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle of modern international law as set out in the UN Charter. As a legal opinion from Professor Robert McCorquodale stated earlier this year; peoples, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference.
"These rights of the nation of Scotland have been disrespected by successive UK Prime Ministers. However their undemocratic arrogance has been facilitated by the political ineptitude of Scottish First Ministers who have allowed Westminster to ride roughshod over Scotland’s national rights.
"This period of zero-sum game politics must be brought to a close which is why elections should now be seen as the democratic route to achieving an independence mandate and why a plan of action must be drawn up now and agreed between all the pro-independence parties on the mobilisation required domestically and internationally to bend Westminster to the will of the Scottish people, if such a mandate is won.”
The Centre for UN Studies holds regular talks with some of the world’s leading experts in their field.
Recent talks have included ‘Why the World must act now to halt and reverse fight Climate Change’ with His Excellency and former head of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon.
