OPPOSITION politicians have expressed anger after the SNP ran newspaper ads marking COP26, quoting Nicola Sturgeon describing Scotland as a “nation in waiting”.
Sunday newspapers featured an ad from the SNP welcoming delegates and leaders from countries around the world to Glasgow for the two-week climate talks.
The full-page ads show a beautiful Scottish landscape, a photograph of Sturgeon and a quote from her reading: “A nation in waiting welcomes the nations of the world.”
It adds: "While not yet an independent nation, we're more than ready and able to play out part on the global stage at COP26."
Sturgeon was asked last week if she would be using the COP26 summit to promote Scottish independence to world leaders – but she insisted her priority was finding a good deal and putting the Earth first.
“I don’t think anybody is in any doubt about my support for Scottish independence. But the focus of the next two weeks is about making sure Scotland’s in a position to lead by example,” she told Channel 4 News.
“Scotland is seen by the UN, by countries around the world, as a global leader. But the bar of global leadership is still not high enough on the issue of climate. The Scottish Government is the co-chair right now of what’s called the Under2 Coalition, bringing state and regional and devolved governments together to make sure we’re maximising our influence. That’s what I’m going to be working as hard as possible to try to do over the duration of this summit.”
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Despite this, Conservative and LibDem politicians attacked the SNP leader over her advert.
The Scottish Tories’ constitution spokesperson Donald Cameron said: “Even when world leaders are in Glasgow to focus on the future of the planet, the first instinct of the SNP is to push their divisive independence obsession.
“No matter how big the issue, the SNP just can’t help themselves – they always focus on trying to break up the United Kingdom.
“Nations from around the world are coming together at Cop26 in a bid to tackle the climate emergency and yet the SNP – whose failure to meet climate-change targets is dismal – would rather talk about separation.”
Meanwhile, Scottish LibDem chief Alex Cole-Hamilton claimed the ad is “a distraction and divisive” and called for it to be withdrawn.
A spokesman for the SNP said: “The SNP is proud to be delivering global leadership on tackling the climate emergency.
“We’ll leave others to snipe from the sidelines, we’re 100% focused on creating a greener and fairer Scotland and more sustainable planet.”
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