24 June 2012
Last updated at 23:45 GMT

Alistair Darling said Scotland could have a strong parliament and remain secure as part of the UK

Former UK chancellor Alistair Darling is launching the campaign to keep the Union, warning that if Scotland leaves Britain, there is “no way back”.

He will compare independence to buying “a one-way ticket to send our children to a deeply uncertain destination”.

Mr Darling will argue Scotland can have the “best of both worlds”, with a strong parliament at Holyrood and a secure place in the United Kingdom.

The Scottish government is planning an independence referendum in autumn 2014.

The SNP-led campaign for independence – Yes Scotland – got under way last month.

Launching the cross-party Better Together campaign in Edinburgh – which involves Labour, the Lib Dems and the Conservatives – Mr Darling will say that Scotland, through family, economic and cultural friendship, is stronger in the UK.

“We’re positive about being a proud nation within a larger state and the far wider range of opportunities for our people that this creates,” the Edinburgh South West Labour MP said.

“We’re positive about all of the identities we share – Scottish, British, European, citizens of the world – and don’t see the need to abandon any of them.

“We are part of a social union, underpinned by an economic and political union – all parts mesh together.

“Friends, neighbours, families – across borders – share ties that bind us together. What does this mean for us? It means that after centuries of common endeavour we should value those ties that bind us together and celebrate the diversity that exists around us.”

The Better Together launch will come as half-a-million leaflets are handed out at train stations, setting out the case for keeping Scotland in the UK, while a new website is going live on Monday.

The Better Together campaign is launching a series of leaflets making the case for keeping Scotland in the union.

Echoing the message of the campaign’s advertising campaign, Mr Darling said: “The truth is we can have the best of both worlds; a strong Scottish Parliament and a key role in a strong and secure United Kingdom.

“The truth is Scotland‘s future, our future and our families’ future will be economically, politically and socially stronger as a partner in the United Kingdom.

“The truth is that this coming together of family, friends, ideas, institutions and identities is a strength, not a weakness. It is an ideal worth celebrating.”

Mr Darling added: “The choice we make will be irrevocable – if we decide to leave the United Kingdom there is no way back.”

The campaign launch came the day after Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander warned homeowners could face £1bn of extra mortgage costs in an independent Scotland.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat MP said Scotland‘s budget deficit and lack of an independent financial track record could mean higher borrowing costs and a 1% rise interest rates.

The Scottish government described the claims as “economic illiteracy”.

(UKPA)
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1 hour ago 

Only two in ten people believe it is better for Scotland to remain in the UK if the Tories are in charge, according to an SNP poll.

Seven in ten Scots do not trust the Government in Westminster to take the right decisions for Scotland, the poll has suggested.

The SNP said it is a severe blow to the Better Together campaign to keep the UK together, which is being launched in Edinburgh.

The Conservatives described it as a pathetic, desperate and predictable attempt to turn the independence referendum into a popularity contest between the SNP and the Tory “bogey men”.

The SNP commissioned pollsters YouGov to ask two questions.

The first was: “How much trust, if any, do you have in the UK Government in Westminster to take the right decisions for Scotland?”

Secondly, pollsters asked: “To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement: It is better for Scotland to be part of the United Kingdom when there is a Conservative government in Westminster?”.

Some 17% of Labour supporters believe Scotland is better as part of the UK when there is a Tory government.

SNP campaign director Angus Robertson said: “This poll comes as a severe blow to the Better Together Labour/Tory alliance and highlights the real dangers for the Labour Party in their pact with the Tories, as they try to tell Scottish voters that we are better off today with Tory austerity, Tory welfare cuts and Tory plans to waste £100 billion on new nuclear weapons.

“By getting into bed with the Tories like this, Labour is risking the same voter backlash which has already seen the Lib Dems all but wiped out in Scotland.”

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Published on Monday 25 June 2012 00:04

IT IS a bird’s eye view of the past by the pioneers of flight and the veteran aerial combatants of the First World War.

An image of Edinburgh Castle, peering out of the mists of time as well as the low clouds of Auld Reekie, is just one of thousands of rare aerial photographs of Scotland launched today.

The snap of the shutter has captured the loneliness of the Old Man of Hoy in Orkney, the majesty of the Waverley steamer and the national stadium, Hampden, in those distant days before seated stands when 149,000 could attend a game.

Giving an insight into the country during the first half of the 20th century, many of the pictures were taken by war veterans, who experts say had “specialist skills” for capturing images from the air.

The photographs include aerial views of the Forth and Tay bridges, the Wallace Monument, Edinburgh’s Princes Street, the Caledonian Canal and Glasgow Green.

They also show the luxury hotel and golf resort at Glen- eagles, as well as the seaside town of Oban, Balmoral Castle and the A8 road between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

More than 5,000 images from the Aerofilms Collection have been conserved and digitised, and they are available to be viewed online for the first time on the website britainfromabove.org.uk, which also features about 12,000 other photographs from across the UK.

Many shots were said to have been taken during the early days of aviation by former war pilots at very low altitudes. Aerofilms’ archive collection was acquired by the nation in 2007 when the company was facing financial difficulties.

Britain from Above allows users to download free images and share personal memories, as well as adding information to help enrich the understanding of the story behind each one. The public can also help identify the locations of a number of “mystery” images that have left the experts stumped.

The images were conserved, catalogued and digitised by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), its sister organisation in Wales and English Heritage. Due to their age and fragility, many of the earliest plate glass negatives and old photographic prints were said to be close to being lost forever.

As more images are digitised, the website will showcase these, allowing the online archive to continue to grow. By the end of the project in 2014, some 95,000 images taken between 1919 and 1953 will be available online, showing the changing face of modern Britain.

Rebecca Bailey, head of education and outreach at the RCAHMS, said: “The history of Aerofilms is inextricably linked to the history of modern Britain. The original pilots and photographers were veterans of the First World War, and they brought specialist skills learned in the conflict to the task of capturing the nation from the air.

“Between 1919 and 1953, there was vast and rapid change to the social, architectural and industrial fabric of Britain, and Aerofilms provides a unique and at times unparalleled perspective on this upheaval. We hope that people will add their own thoughts and memories to this remarkable collection.”

• Images courtesy of Aerofilms Collection

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By ALAN PATTULLO

Published on Monday 25 June 2012 00:00

NOVAK Djokovic has revealed he put the “Jock” in Djokovoic on a restorative trip to Scotland as he prepares to defend his Wimbledon title, a quest the Serbian begins today on Centre Court against Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The world No 1’s Scottish soujourn helped him overcome the disappointment of missing out on holding all four grand slam titles at once, by losing to Rafael Nadal in a rain-disrupted final at Roland Garros earlier this month. Djokovic revealed that he and his girlfriend, Jelena, flew in for a mini-break in Scotland, and even made a piligrimage of sorts to the area where Andy Murray, his friend and rival, grew up.

VisitScotland need look no further than Djokovic when recruiting top stars willing to advertise Scotland’s charms. The Serbian gladly offered his opinion on Murray’s homeland after taking Jelena on a surprise birthday trip to Gleneagles Hotel, soon after his defeat in Paris.

“I went to Scotland when I played the Davis Cup in Glasgow [in 2006], but back then I didn’t have the chance to see how beautiful the country is, really,” he explained. “The countryside is quite remarkable. We went to visit the William Wallace monument and we saw the historic culture. We really liked it, although it rained for the two days, which was expected in a way. But I’ll definitely be back.”

Djokovic even tipped his hat to Murray on the trip, stopping off near Dunblane for a photo opportunity. “I made a little picture for him,” he said.

“We were on the A80, I think, and there was a right turn just before Stirling Castle for Dunblane. So I made a picture and sent him a picture on BBM [Blackberry messenger] and he replied: What are you doing there? I told him: ‘Mate, this hasn’t been Photoshopped. I’m really here’!”

It is no secret that Djokovic and Murray are firm friends. Born within weeks of each other in May 1987, the pair first met on the junior circuit and have been compadres ever since, although Djokovic has sped ahead of Murray when it comes to winning Grand Slam tournaments. However, Djokovic was able to re-assure fans of the Scot on that front.

“The driver who picked us up at the airport, the people who were in the hotel, everybody we met was mentioning Andy,” said Djokovic. “It’s normal because he comes from there. He comes from very close to where we were. They are proud of him and obviously the question they were asking the most – and I think as will you guys – is when is he going to win a grand slam?”

And what did he say? “I said very soon because I really believe that,” answered Djokovic.

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