Independence: Scottish debate like USA’s - Hyslop

THE debate on Scottish independence has been carried out in a “wholly democratic, civil and orderly” manner, SNP external affairs secretary Fiona Hyslop told an American audience on the country’s Independence Day.

Fiona Hyslop with her son Paul and the mayors of Philidelphia, PA (L) and Birmingham, AL. Picture: Scottish Government

The Scottish Government has complained of “scaremongering” on the part of the coalition government in recent weeks, while pro-union campaigners have slammed online attacks from so-called Cyber Nats.

But Ms Hyslop said during a speech in Philadelphia to mark US Independence Day that the current debate is similar the early days of the US constitution being drawn up.

“What’s happening in Scotland today is a wholly democratic, civil and orderly debate about the future of the country,” she said in a speech to the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (DSDI).

Ms Hylop added: “In the course of the last 70 years no-one has sustained so much as a nose bleed in the cause of Scottish independence. Indeed, the great debates and exchanges of letters that formed your constitution may find a modern echo in the discussions on Scotland’s future as we decide what kind of nation we want to be.”

She said an independent Scotland would look to strengthen its “strong and enduring” relationship with the US.