Alex Salmond to appear on US national TV to reaffirm US-Scottish ties

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond will tell a national US television audience that an independent Scotland will retain the “firmest and strongest” of bonds with the United States, in an interview with Scottish TV star Craig Ferguson to be broadcast later this evening.

The First Minister will appear on the CBS network chat show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, as part of a series of special programmes filmed by the Cumbernauld-born star during a recent trip back to Scotland.

During the interview, which was filmed at Arbroath Abbey, the First Minister told Craig Ferguson that an independent Scotland will build on its friendly terms with the United States, continuing the “firmest and strongest” of relationships that already exist between the two countries.

The First Minister said:

“Scotland would be part of that western nexus of nations, and we would have the firmest and strongest of relationships with the United States of America.

Referring to discussions about Scottish influence over the American Declaration of Independence, the First Minister added:

“After all, if we provided some of the inspiration for the American declaration of independence, we’ve got some historical claim and after all, if we’re providing Craig Ferguson then we’ve got some modern claim to fame.”

Mr Salmond also told Craig Ferguson that he sought a “new type of democracy for Scotland”, where the Scottish Parliament was able to influence all areas of Scottish life and where the people living in Scotland make the decisions about Scotland.

Mr Salmond added: “What we are proposing is a new type of democracy for Scotland, where we control not just some things, which we do now thanks to the Scottish Parliament coming back, where we control not just education or health, but the economy and our international relationships. But people can have a different view on what’s right and what’s wrong and they’re still patriotic Scots.