Alex Salmond Quotes

Ten years ago, alongside the return of the , I was arguing strongly for the return of the to Scotland. Sadly this campaign is as yet incomplete. Of the ninety-three pieces known to us today, the holds only eleven. The other eighty-two remain in the in London. I still find it utterly unacceptable that the Lewis chessmen are scattered around Britain in a bizarre parody of the . And you can be assured that I will continue campaigning for a united set of Lewis chessmen in an independent Scotland!

Our national story has its full share of grief and pain as well as triumph and expectation. But through it all, hope remains and dreams do not die.

We Scots are proud Europeans. By history Scotland is - and by our ambition Scotland will remain - a European nation, a full member of the European Union. This is the starting point of our engagement with Europe. We will always play our full part and work to advance common European interests.

Many American presidents believe they are Irish by descent. Some believe themselves to be Scottish by descent. Actually, most of them are Scots-Irish by descent - certainly the good ones!

Scotland is not confused, nor are we a people ill at ease.

While individuals must take responsibility for their spending, they are entitled to protections from outrageous credit charges.

Scotland has a unique opportunity to develop one of the strongest renewable and green energy industries in Europe - and, a world centre for excellence.

She is the living memorial as to why Scots want their own parliament.

While we might always have enjoyed self-expression, we have perhaps at times lacked a little bit of self-belief.

It is time to get down to business. Scotland's new politics starts now. ... Let's start as we mean to continue - with respect for diversity of opinion.

The of 1320 ... was a challenge not just to the ambitions of our neighbour but too many of the accepted views of that time. As a statement of the 'community of the realm', the Declaration of Arbroath may be Europe's first statement of a contractual relationship between government and citizens.

Change is what political leadership is about.

The SNP's commitment to a Bill of Rights and written constitution means that we will outlaw any discrimination but we also have to eradicate it from the dark recesses of the Scottish psyche. We also have to speak out against institutionalised discrimination. For example, it is a scandal of some considerable proportions that no Catholic can sit on the throne, or marry the heir to the throne -- an attitude entrenched in law that belongs to the archaic arrangements of the eighteenth century, not the bright prospects of the twenty-first.

Scotland will not be a foreign country after independence, any more than Ireland, Northern Ireland, England or Wales could ever be “foreign countries” to Scotland.

Is not because I am a poor sailor and fear the voyage to .