From the archives: Scottish Nationalists; 23 November 1934

Sir Alexander MacEwen, addressing a meeting in Dunfermline under Scottish National Party auspices, asked if Scotland was not fit to be trusted with the powers which were to be given to India.

Either self-government was a bad thing, in which case the whole policy of the British Empire for the last 100 years had been wrong, or else Scotland was not fit to govern herself. Referring to the appointment of Sir Arthur Rose as Commissioner for the Depressed Areas in Scotland, Sir Alexander asked what his powers were to be. He was to devote his time and attention to the initiation, organisation, and prosecution of schemes designed to facilitate economic development and social improvement in these areas. That sounded well, but, when examined, these words were no more than sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. He was to be a paper dictator, without power or money under his own control.

• archive.scotsman.com