The use of the word “separation” to describe independence has been criticised by Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond in the assembly.
When asked by the Conservative Chief Whip whether he thought “separation from the rest of the United Kingdom could be negotiated within a year of an independence referendum,” Salmond replied:
“If John Lamont was so confident about his position then he wouldn’t feel the need to describe the process of independence and self-determination and self-respect in such pejorative terms.”
Salmond added: “What is it about independence that so frightens the Conservative Party that it dare not speak its name?
“Might it be because the number of independent countries in the world has increased from some 50 to almost 200 in the United Nations.
“How many of these independent countries in the United Nations describe themselves as ‘separated’ countries, or engaged in the process of ‘separation’?”
