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GLOBAL: Scottish Diaspora - Scotlands People

Written by Scotland.org

Thursday, 09 August 2007

Scotland’s greatest resource is its people and not just those who live within our national boundaries. That resource includes the many millions, who make up of the Scottish Diaspora and who have not only contributed greatly to their host countries but also helped build the global reputation of Scotland abroad.

That reputation according to a survey carried out by Professor Michael Porter in 2000 is for integrity and reliability and to a large extent it has been earned as double act between individual Scots abroad and the people & institutions of Scotland.

It is a powerful reputation matched to a powerful brand and the international presence of those of Scots descent and those who are well-disposed to Scotland.

Many people in Scotland tend to think of our Diaspora as being located in North America, the Antipodes and the Far East. But we will not forget the very significant presence of Scots in England and in particular in London.

There is now an enormous opportunity for Scotland to engage with the many millions of people abroad whom care about our country and build a worldwide network of influence and engagement. This global connection can bring significant benefits to Scotland in terms of inward investment, tourism, cultural relations and people returning to live and work in Scotland.

The new government of Scotland stands ready to assist with this process of engagement and I warmly congratulate Scots In London on the rapid progress made in building their network and keeping the connection vibrant and lively (Ed: Thanks Jim!).

The next phase may even attract some early use of return tickets as we start to deliver on our objective of increasing sustainable growth in Scotland and building our claim of right tax powers and the ability to compete and growth the nation.

The SNP are about to get a second wind of support as we get the opportunity properly explain our economic case for Independence, expose the mismanagement of Scotland over recent years, benchmark our performance against that of Norway and Ireland and have more people from the Diaspora coming home to ask tough questions about the mediocre performance of the last 40 years.

That support will deliver the mandate needed to allow Scotland to match the performance of other small countries and both stem the flow of talent and I believe encourage many more people to return. ”

Jim Mather MSP

MSP for Argyll & Bute, Minister for Enterprise, Energy & Tourism, Scottish Parliament. Image: Courtesty of Jim Mather's Office.

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