As Others See Us: the view from Russia and Spain

David Leask

Monday 30 April 2012

DAVID LEASK poses a pertinent question in the first of a series of regular blogs: will the world care if Scotland becomes independent?

The issue was raissed in one of Russia's heavyweight newspapers. And the answer?

"Many abroad won't even notice," concluded Kommersant. "After all, all we are talking about is some island off Europe with a line through it."

But the Moscow business daily, of course, has itself paid attention. Not least because talk of national identity and independence sounds familiar to its former Soviet readers, especially those who have lost loved ones in the warring breakaway regions on either side of Russia's frontier with Georgia. A referendum on independence? Here in Scotland we are only getting used to the idea of a plebiscite, a peaceful, democratic debate on dismantling one of the world's oldest states. But it's no secret that there are parts of world - Russia is one of them, Spain another - where Scotland's big 2014 vote is potential political dynamite. "It may seem a long way away, but the referendum announced by the Scottish First Minister is already worrying the Popular Party (PP)," reported Barcelona’s Vanguardia about Spain’s ruling Conservatives earlier this month. How does the Catalan paper sum up Madrid's concerns? In one world: "Contagion." News outlets across the world have started to wake up to "the" Scottish story - but often with their own very specific takes on the issue. This wee blog is designed to let Scots know what they are saying about us. Sometimes this will be horribly and hilariously inaccurate: several major Russian media consistently refer to the British nuclear arsenal on the "Island of Clyde". Sometimes it is going to be pretty serious, such as the speculation among Catalan nationalists that their old enemies in Madrid will try and block Scottish entry to the EU. But as Scotland decides its place in the world, don't we need to know what place the world's media has for Scotland? If you've spotted an offbeat piece of international coverage of the referendum, please email me at david.leask@heraldandtimes.co.uk

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As Others See Us: the view from Russia and Spain

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