Professor John Robertson OBA
In East Asia Forum, by Tomasz Kominski of the University of Lodz, in July 2024, but nowhere in the ‘Scottish’ media at the time, I feel sure, the above, and:
As the epicentre of global business shifts decisively toward East Asia, small sub-national European governments are increasingly drawn to engage more robustly with this dynamic region. Scotland, stressing the importance of its links with Asian partners in its strategic documents, is at the forefront of this movement. The motivations are clear — economic opportuni , ambitions to tackle global problems and strategic positioning.
Attracting foreign investors is a demanding task and regions compete fiercely. Some t to build a network of international offices to attract investment. Scotland has a significant presence, with nine offices worldwide. Belgian Flanders is a European leader, with offices in 70 countries. Smaller and less developed European regions, like Lodzkie province in central Poland, also sometimes establish representative offices in Asian countries, counting on inward investments. These efforts often pay off — foreign investment in Scotland helped to secure more than 8500 jobs in the 2022–23 fiscal year.
and:
Scottish global engagements exemplify paradiplomacy driven by the principle of being a good global citizen. Over 70 European regions, besides promoting their interests abroad and facilitating business opportunities, are also engaged in development cooperation. The Scottish government stresses that delivering aid instils a national identi based on ‘Scottish values’, defined as humani , tolerance, compassion and progressiveness. The region wants to take responsibili for taking part in global action to tackle pover and climate change and promote prosperity . Making a constructive contribution to addressing global challenges is also an opportuni to build a positive image of the region, sell expertise and build relations with the diaspora. With about 40 million people living abroad and claiming Scottish ancest , the region has great potential to foster more profound and meaningful relationships with foreign counterparts, including those in the Asia Pacific.
and:
In the case of Scotland, it also serves as proto-diplomacy as it seeks international support for its independence ambitions. The Scottish government policy paper ‘Building a New Scotland: An independent Scotland’s Place in the World’, published in March 2024, highlights the vital role of Asian partners. Similar to other small, non-sovereign nations with a strong sense of nationhood, such as Catalonia, Scotland ventures into the international arena to gain legitimacy, build and strengthen national identi and find the resources and support it lacks internally.
How Scotland does this against the odds and UK Government hostility:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Apologies O/T
Here is the (vicious) cycle of how so called ‘political news’ is produced in Scotland which is , as political news, only generated as a means with which to attack the SNP.
The instigator, as in source, can either be a newspaper in Scotland or it can come directly from the BBC in Scotland , via an interview with a politician from a UK party , who is either a member of the branch office or who is from their HQ.
The latest concocted #SNPBAD is the “Student Union politics “ (non) story.
This began , as in was instigated, by BBC Scotland on the Sunday (Politics) show.
Laura Goodwin interviewed the Labour UK Defence Secretary, John Healey, and she wanted to know what he ( as an opposition politician to the SNP) thought of the Scottish government (SNP) not wanting to fund “munitions” within Scotland .
Goodwin said to him (via her reading the ‘Q’ from a script):
“I want to ask you about a particular project led by Rolls Royce , this was a cutting edge welding centre on the Clyde. The funding of which seems to be a little bit precarious at the moment , £2.5 million was due to come from Scottish Enterprise but there are reports this has been withdrawn due to Scottish government’s policy barring public funding for Munitions. What are you going to do about that” ?
Healey responded “If the Scottish SNP government won’t step up to support skills and the future of jobs in Scotland then we will”.
She then said “ What do you make of that funding policy given the Global situation we’re in”.
Healey then gave the answer which has now prompted the main headline in this very much BBC concocted story , it is also a basis for a headline via some other media in Scotland as well , as in when he , Healey, responded by saying:
“Well it’s the first time I have come across it but it’s really strikes me as Student Union Politics, this is not a serious government”.
This quote “Student Union Politics” then led to it being used in all subsequent BBC Scotland News reports that day (yesterday) and beyond (as in today as well).
I have highlighted in bold the words Goodwin used tactically from the ‘script’ that she was reading from (as in the one someone else had prepared for her).
Just so that the BBC could then try to get the quote, that as any quote, would then form the main basis of their televised news attacks (and also their written ones on their website) against the SNP as the Scottish government.
Which we then have seen happen ,via BBC Scotland subsequent news reports, and also via an article on their website under their Scottish page .
The BBC would fully expect that with any interview that they did with a Labour UK government minister , where the BBC were mentioning, as in emphasising, something that the SNP were against, that then (they hoped that) would produce a negative response from that Labour government minister that would be more than likely #SNPBAD .
Now today on the BBC Website on the ‘Scotland’ page they have their hoped for headline from an article that they added yesterday, as on the day Goodwin interviewed Healey on The Sunday show.
Their headline is:
“ ‘Student politics’ row over SNP arms funding policy”
“Row” ?
Who has made it into a “Row”, well that would be the BBC in Scotland.
Now also today a couple of the so called ‘newspapers’ in Scotland headline this (non) BBC ‘Scotland’ generated story.
The Scotsman (a quaintly named newspapers as it is more British than Scottish).
“SNP ‘playing Student Politics’ in row over Defence spending”
The Herald (not the main headline but still on the front page)
“Healey hits out at Scots policy on Munitions”
Of course there is two things here that are significant with this story.
“£1.5bn to build six new factories to make munitions” and “new funding will see UK munitions spending hit £6bn during this parliament, the Ministry of Defence said”
All of that money that Labour UK are now pledging for this new ‘Defence ‘ spending then one wonders how that can be when there is a so called “Financial black hole”.
A “financial black hole” that failed to find money to compensate the Waspi women. (as well as other funding also being cut by Labour because of it e.g. Universal WFP for pensioners).
As in when Labour (via MP’s, MSP’s and the current PM) formerly pledged to rectify and so fully address the Waspi women injustice , as in when they< Labour, were in opposition to the previous Tory UK government.
Labour promised that they would compensate Waspi women and so address this terrible injustice against them, that was an injustice by a previous Tory UK government. Which subsequent Tory UK governments also then failed to rectify and so put right. (as have Labour now, as the new UK government, also failed to rectify and address).
Then secondly when Healey said yesterday “If the Scottish SNP government won’t step up to support skills and the future of jobs in Scotland then we will”.
How quickly he, John Healey, has forgotten that Labour UK let down the Scottish workers at Grangemouth Refinery in Scotland , when Labour UK failed to save their jobs , in Labour UK not “stepping up to support” jobs at Grangemouth refinery.
That is “for the future of their jobs in Scotland”, however Labour UK did “step up” to “support” and so save “jobs” in England in a British Steel plant.
Also where are the thousands of jobs for Scotland as promised by Labour with GB Energy ?
Defence spending and jobs seems to now be far far more important than this so called Labour Green energy (revolution) , via funding and jobs for Scotland as pledged by Labour UK in their election manifesto last year.
This is what we are up against time and time again.
A corrupt British MSM that works hand in hand with British political parties to generate contrived “scandals” , “controversies” and “fiascos” that they then link to the SNP as the Scottish government, all just to try to damage the SNP politically and so then, it is assumed, will , they hope, benefit British politics and British political parties.
So obvious and tactical it is embarrassing but also very corrupt.
Vote SNP via a majority on all future elections to show the BBC that we do not think “British is best” as so far “British has been far worse for Scotland” on so many levels.
#BairnsNotBombs
Liz S
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