Sturgeon: 'We will woo No voters to back the 'beautiful dream' of Scottish independence'
"The Nineteenth century saw a great Springtime of Nations as the revolutions of 1848 saw new countries created the length and breadth of Europe. In our world today we are now seeing our own Spring Awakening with people and cultures that have long been dormant and subdued asserting their right to exist, their right to dream." Adam Price MP
Saturday, 19 March 2016
Sunday, 13 March 2016
Awaiting the Opportune Moment
Sturgeon: 'We will woo No voters to back the 'beautiful dream' of Scottish independence'
NICOLA Sturgeon yesterday announced an SNP summer initiative to
convert sceptical voters to the “beautiful dream” of independence.
The First Minister admitted her party’s arguments had not been “compelling enough” for many people in 2014, however Sturgeon said she planned to rectify that with a fresh push and a fresh approach.
“We will hear your concerns and address your questions - and in the process, we will be prepared to challenge some of our own answers,” she said.
The First Minister admitted her party’s arguments had not been “compelling enough” for many people in 2014, however Sturgeon said she planned to rectify that with a fresh push and a fresh approach.
“We will hear your concerns and address your questions - and in the process, we will be prepared to challenge some of our own answers,” she said.
“It will not be an attempt to browbeat anyone. Patiently and
respectfully we will seek to convince you that independence really does
offer the best future for Scotland.
“That is how we will turn the 45 per cent of September 2014 into a strong and positive majority for independence.”
The announcement came as a new YouGov poll confirmed the SNP is on track for a second majority in May - and showed Labour on a record low, behind the Tories.
Addressing around 2500 delegates at the SNP’s pre-election conference, the First Minister announced a series of promises on health, education, tax and childcare. There were also stinging attacks on the Tories and Scottish Labour.
But it was the section on independence which stirred the greatest -
and loudest - passions in the cavernous hall at the SECC in Glasgow.
Sturgeon quoted her "hero" Eleanor Roosevelt, the former First Lady of the United States, who said “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.
The SNP leader went on: “Our dream is for Scotland to be become independent. To be in the driving seat of our own destiny. To shape our own future.
“And on the basis of equality with our family across the British Isles and our friends across the globe, to play our part in building a better world. That is a beautiful dream. And we believe in it.”
However she warned that simply wishing to re-run referendum “next week” wouldn’t deliver it.
“Our success will depend on the strength of our arguments and the clarity of our vision.
“It will mean convincing the people of this country that independence is right - not for yesterday’s world - but for the complex, challenging and increasingly interdependent world that we live in. And right also for the world that our children will inherit and live in tomorrow.”
The announcement, with its emphasis on patience, respect and a lack of browbeating, signalled a break with the brash campaigning style of Alex Salmond in 2014.
It also suggests the SNP hierarchy is rethinking some of the weaker aspects of the previous Yes prospectus, notably on the currency and the economy.
Last week’s Government Revenue and Expenditure in Scotland (GERS) report said Scotland raised £15bn less in tax than it spent in 2014-15, a record deficit.
With bad economic data likely to harden the mood of No voters and erode a soft Yes vote, the summer initiative is aimed at shoring up the 45 per cent support as well as adding to it.
It will be paid for out of SNP party funds not public money.
In the early sections of her 40-minute speech, Sturgeon set out the principles that would guide her as First Minister after May and said the SNP would always “fight Scotland’s corner”.
She cited John Swinney’s recent fiscal framework deal with the Treasury which left Scotland £7bn better off than Westminster wanted: “It was a blatant and shameful attempt to renege on the 'vow' they made to Scotland. But we said 'no'. As we say in Glasgow, we gubbed them.”
She said the SNP would reform the NHS to prepare for a growing elderly population, but said it would stay in public hands, with a rising resource budget every year for five years.
She also announced an extra £50m for radiotherapy services to help fight cancer.
On education, she said free meals would be extended to nurseries, with headteachers in deprived schools getting bigger budgets to spend as they saw fit to close the attainment gap.
There was also a loudly-cheered pledge for 100 per cent superfast digital broadband coverage, even in the most remote rural areas.
Using the new welfare powers coming to Holyrood, Sturgeon said the SNP would restore maternity grants for large families which had been cut by the Tories and introduce £250 grants to low income parents for children starting nursery or primary.
She pledged the SNP would not raise the basic rate of income tax above 20p during the next parliament, but left open the possibility of raising the 40p and 45p bands.
She also hinted strongly that she would not match Tory plans to raise the threshold for the 40p rate from £42,385 to £50,000 by 2021, saying: “It would be wrong to give big tax cuts to the better off as George Osborne is planning to do. We will not do that.”
She said she would set out more detailed tax plans after Wednesday’s budget.
“That is how we will turn the 45 per cent of September 2014 into a strong and positive majority for independence.”
The announcement came as a new YouGov poll confirmed the SNP is on track for a second majority in May - and showed Labour on a record low, behind the Tories.
Addressing around 2500 delegates at the SNP’s pre-election conference, the First Minister announced a series of promises on health, education, tax and childcare. There were also stinging attacks on the Tories and Scottish Labour.
Sturgeon quoted her "hero" Eleanor Roosevelt, the former First Lady of the United States, who said “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.
The SNP leader went on: “Our dream is for Scotland to be become independent. To be in the driving seat of our own destiny. To shape our own future.
“And on the basis of equality with our family across the British Isles and our friends across the globe, to play our part in building a better world. That is a beautiful dream. And we believe in it.”
However she warned that simply wishing to re-run referendum “next week” wouldn’t deliver it.
“Our success will depend on the strength of our arguments and the clarity of our vision.
“It will mean convincing the people of this country that independence is right - not for yesterday’s world - but for the complex, challenging and increasingly interdependent world that we live in. And right also for the world that our children will inherit and live in tomorrow.”
The announcement, with its emphasis on patience, respect and a lack of browbeating, signalled a break with the brash campaigning style of Alex Salmond in 2014.
It also suggests the SNP hierarchy is rethinking some of the weaker aspects of the previous Yes prospectus, notably on the currency and the economy.
Last week’s Government Revenue and Expenditure in Scotland (GERS) report said Scotland raised £15bn less in tax than it spent in 2014-15, a record deficit.
With bad economic data likely to harden the mood of No voters and erode a soft Yes vote, the summer initiative is aimed at shoring up the 45 per cent support as well as adding to it.
It will be paid for out of SNP party funds not public money.
In the early sections of her 40-minute speech, Sturgeon set out the principles that would guide her as First Minister after May and said the SNP would always “fight Scotland’s corner”.
She cited John Swinney’s recent fiscal framework deal with the Treasury which left Scotland £7bn better off than Westminster wanted: “It was a blatant and shameful attempt to renege on the 'vow' they made to Scotland. But we said 'no'. As we say in Glasgow, we gubbed them.”
She said the SNP would reform the NHS to prepare for a growing elderly population, but said it would stay in public hands, with a rising resource budget every year for five years.
She also announced an extra £50m for radiotherapy services to help fight cancer.
On education, she said free meals would be extended to nurseries, with headteachers in deprived schools getting bigger budgets to spend as they saw fit to close the attainment gap.
There was also a loudly-cheered pledge for 100 per cent superfast digital broadband coverage, even in the most remote rural areas.
Using the new welfare powers coming to Holyrood, Sturgeon said the SNP would restore maternity grants for large families which had been cut by the Tories and introduce £250 grants to low income parents for children starting nursery or primary.
She pledged the SNP would not raise the basic rate of income tax above 20p during the next parliament, but left open the possibility of raising the 40p and 45p bands.
She also hinted strongly that she would not match Tory plans to raise the threshold for the 40p rate from £42,385 to £50,000 by 2021, saying: “It would be wrong to give big tax cuts to the better off as George Osborne is planning to do. We will not do that.”
She said she would set out more detailed tax plans after Wednesday’s budget.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley called the speech “timid”. Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie said: "The SNP's biggest priority remains to start the division of the referendum again."
Sunday, 6 March 2016
Plaid Cymru Conference
Adam Price fires up conference
Posted By: Alan Evanson: March 05, 2016In: News, Politics, Top News, Uncategorised
PLAID CYMRU’S Carmarthenshire East and Dinefwr AM candidate Adam Price took the Plaid Cymru Spring Conference by storm today with a rousing speech, which had echoes of the speech made by Gwynfor Evans in 1966 following his election as MP. The Plaid candidate told the conference, “This year, the challenge is not to remember but to be history, to make history, to shape history. The challenge for us is not to be passive bystanders at our own funeral but the active agents of our own regeneration.” He used a combination of humour, history and quotes throughout his speech and laid bare what he thought of Labour’s record. He said, “It’s nine weeks out and not a vote has been cast but I think we can confidently make one prediction. Labour will lose in May. And they deserve to lose because they have already lost any sense of direction, any scrap of creativity, of vision, of drive. They have put us at the bottom of the league for prosperity, for wages, for literacy, for numeracy and science.” Mr Price quantified his claim by saying, “The first wonder of the world is the mind of a child….Yet we are thirty-fifth in the world league of education standards today thirty-fifth. They say give me a boy at seven, I’ll show you the man at 70. Well give me the education system that is thirty-fifth in the world today and I will give you the economy that is thirty-fifth in the world”. He also quoted one of Wales’ greatest historians, Gwyn Alf Williams but paraphrased him by saying, “We can only truly love Wales if we can put our hands on our hearts and say we love Llanelli bus station in the rain.’ Mr. Price received a standing ovation and was warmly greeted by Plaid Cymru’s leader Leanne Wood as he left the stage.
Saturday, 5 March 2016
British Exit from the EU precipitates independence
Bookies slash odds on Scottish independence as Nicola Sturgeon warns Brexit would trigger another indyref
IT is now just a 2/1 chance that another referendum will be held on Scottish independence in the next four years, as the chances of the UK leaving the EU narrow.
Saturday, 27 February 2016
Ending Trident
Corbyn, Sturgeon and Wood set to rally together for Trident protest
Jeremy Corbyn, Nicola Sturgeon and Leanne Wood will be putting
political differences aside when they join together to support a major
protest against the Trident nuclear system today.
The three party leaders will all speak at a protest rally in London
as they argue that the nuclear weapons should be disarmed ahead of a
Commons vote on the use of Trident, expected later this year.
During the event Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood is expected to say
that nuclear weapons should be thrown into the "dustbin of history" as
she argues "it is a disgrace that £100 billion and more will be diverted
to nuclear weapons that no one should want and no one should ever use".
The government's defence minister Philip Dunne has argued that
"disarming now would be a reckless gamble with our national security."
The demonstration is expected to be the biggest of its kind in a
generation with coaches full of union officials, faith leaders,
anti-nuclear activists and anti-war campaigners expected to travel to
the capital from across the UK, including Scotland, where the Trident
submarines are based.
Monday, 22 February 2016
Alex Salmond, on the warpath
Is the First Minister lucky?
"I know he is a talented general but is he a lucky one?”So Napoleon famously remarked about his generals.
The last two weeks tells us that his adage may also apply to our own First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. She is a brilliant politician certainly but also it appears a lucky one.
Nicola’s chief source of luck is in her opponents. In the space of a few days both Labour and Tory Parties have delivered a clear and dominating election theme into Nicola’s capable hands. They have virtually presented her with the Scottish election.
First the Tory London Treasury were caught making a clumsy attempt to fiddle Scotland’s finances.
Then the Labour Party suggested a tax rise for working people. Why either of these parties thought they could get away with such tactics on the eve of an election is beyond comprehension. Instead they have delivered Ms Sturgeon, already in a commanding position, an unbeatable platform for the forthcoming Scottish elections.
The Scotland Bill “fiscal framework” debate has been on slow burn for the last few months.
However it has now caught alight with a vengeance. In the blue saltire corner is Scottish Finance Minister, “honest John” Swinney. In the red, white and blue corner is Tory Chancellor “slippery Gideon” Osborne.
The underlying issues are serious, both in terms of the money but even more so in terms of the principle at issue.
In the last desperate days of the referendum campaign with the Yes campaign on the brink of victory the Westminster parties issued a last ditch attempt to convince people to vote No.
It was too important to be a mere promise and so it was called “a Vow”. The “Vow” was that Scotland would be delivered of huge powers of “devo to the max”, “home rule” or “near federalism” and keep the Barnett formula on Scotland’s spending. Too good to be true? Turns out it was!
With the vote safely in the Westminster bag, the “Vow” started to be watered down under the resultant Smith Commission and that realisation was one reason for the total rout of the unionist parties at last year’s general election. This was not the fault of the estimable Robert Smith.
The all-party commission was forced to proceed at the pace of the slowest ship in the convoy and the unionist parties refused to sign up for anything that could be said to resemble “home rule” never mind “near federalism”.
However, Smith himself did insist on one crucial protection for Scotland and that was that any proposals on financial devolution should be delivered with “no detriment” to either side that there should be no financial advantage or disadvantage just by the delivery of additional powers.
Professor Anton Muscatelli, principal of Glasgow University, calculated a potential loss to Scotland of as much as £7 billion over a 10-year period certainly but still a fair amount of change and in total conflict with the “no detriment” principle.
At issue is whether future reductions from the Scottish Budget should follow the “Levels Deduction” system favoured by the Treasury or the “Per Capita Indexed Deduction” method proposed by the Scottish Government.
For the Tories in Scotland it is a PR disaster. After years of trying to shake off their anti-Scottish image, and months of boasting that they could catch Labour for second place, they have been caught with their sticky fingers well and truly stuck in the cookie jar.
Now also entering from stage right comes a totally gormless Labour Party.
Desperate to find an issue any issue on which to fight the election campaign they have proposed a general increase in the new 10 pence rate of income taxation. This 1p tax grab would hit 2.2 million basic rate taxpayers including almost 500,000 pensioners.
Even if we leave to one side the embarrassing fact that just a few weeks ago Labour were arguing against this move, forget that they are proposing a tax rise for people on incomes of £11,000 and upwards and also ignore their total inability to explain how their rebate system would work this is still a completely crazy policy.
It means that Labour’s “answer” to Tory austerity is to transfer the burden onto Scottish workers. Higher tax on working people is not an end to austerity. It is an example of austerity. That misunderstanding is at the heart of Labour’s muddle.
The Scottish Government should stand firm against the Tory fiddle and Labour’s muddle. Instead Nicola Sturgeon should take her case to the country, ask the people for their support and thank the gods of politics for her luck in having two such kamikaze opponents.
Sunday, 21 February 2016
Brexit: Scotland to declare independence if Britain votes to leave EU, says Nicola Sturgeon
Published 20/02/2016 | 17:32
1
If Britain votes to leave the European Union against the wishes of
Scotland than a second independence referendum is likely inevitable,
says Nicola Sturgeon.
Read More: British Prime Minister sets June 23 date for Britain's in/out EU referendum
"Across the UK the polls suggest this campaign is on a knife-edge and that's why I think it's important for the in-campaign to be positive," Sturgeon said.
The Scottish vote, which is about 5 million, however is dwarfed by that of England which represents about 84 pc of the population of the United Kingdom.
Read More: Irish workers in UK will not be affected by EU reform bid - Kenny
"If we get into the situation, where Scotland votes to stay in, the rest of the UK votes to come out, then people in Scotland will have big questions they will want to look at again about whether Scotland should be independent."
Scots rejected independence by 55-45 pc in a vote in 2014 but since then the SNP has gained further strength, taking 56 of the 59 seats representing Scotland in the national parliament in London in last May's election.
Mr Cameron has come out in favour of the UK remaining in the EU, saying that he had securing a deal from other EU leaders that would give Britain "a special place within Europe".
Read More: Merkel: British EU demands are 'justified' and 'necessary'
Former SNP leader Alex Salmond said he did not rate the EU deal that Cameron had secured.
If "we were dragged out against our will by the votes of a much larger English (electorate), then the pressure for another independence referendum in Scotland would be irresistible and I think very rapid," Mr Salmond said.
Reuters
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Independence if UK leaves the EU
Almost six in ten Scots would vote for independence if UK quits EU
By Stephen Daisley
Almost 60% of Scots would vote to quit the United Kingdom if Britain leaves the European Union, a new poll finds.The survey commissioned by STV News shows strong Scottish support for Britain’s continuing membership of the EU and suggests a correlation between splitting from Brussels and increased backing for independence.
The research also finds a towering lead for the SNP ahead of May's Holyrood election and firm opposition to raising income tax.
Some 62% of Scots are inclined to support the remain campaign in the EU referendum, 26% expect to support the leave effort and 12% say they don’t know.
Across the nation as a whole, 55% of Britons will vote to stay while 36% will endorse Brexit, with 9% putting themselves down as don’t knows.
A further six in ten told pollsters from Ipsos MORI Scotland they had “definitely decided” how they would cast their ballot, while 36% admitted they may still change their mind.
In findings that will cause concern at Westminster, support for independence would receive a boost from a European breakaway.
Posed a hypothetical scenario in which Scotland votes to stay in the EU but the country overall votes to leave, 54% would subsequently back independence compared to 39% who would vote to keep the UK together. A further 7% did not know how they would vote.
Scots continue to hold contrasting attitudes towards London and Brussels. While a clear majority wish to pool sovereignty with the latter, most want to secede from the UK.
If a second independence referendum were held tomorrow, without any change in Britain’s relationship to the EU, 49% of Scots would cast their ballot for Yes, 45% for No and 5% said they didn't know. With don’t knows stripped out, 52% of Scots back independence while 48% oppose it.
The Ipsos MORI research also indicates the SNP is on course for another landslide victory in the Scottish Parliament election in May.
Among those likely to vote in May, 53% will give their constituency vote to the SNP, 20% to Scottish Labour, 16% to the Scottish Conservatives, 6% to the Scottish Liberal Democrats and 4% to other parties. This translates to a 33-point SNP lead over Labour.
This is largely in line with how Scots intend to cast their second ballot for regional MSPs, except for the level of support seen for the Scottish Greens.
Almost half (49%) say they will favour the SNP on the regional list, 19% will back Labour, 15% will support the Tories, 8% the Lib Dems and 6% the Greens. A further 2% will back other parties. Here the Nationalists enjoy a 30-point lead over the main opposition party.
The findings confirm the SNP’s unassailable electoral position north of the border and will make painful reading for Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, who appears not to have dented the unprecedented popularity of the Nationalists and Nicola Sturgeon.
The First Minister remains far and away the most popular politician in Scotland, with a net satisfaction rating of +39, an almost mirror image of attitudes to David Cameron, who scores -38.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has still not won round voters in Scotland, where his net satisfaction sits at -13, although Kezia Dugdale rates at +5.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson sits on +8 while Scottish Lib Dem boss Willie Rennie is on -4. The public’s second-favourite political figure after Sturgeon is Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie, who enjoys a +19 approval score.
The poll also calls into question assumptions about Scotland's attachment to social democratic principles. Asked their preferred policy on income tax, 54% said they wanted it to remain at the current level while a further 10% wish to see it cut by 1p in the pound. Less than a third (30%) support raising the levy by 1p and a further 7% said they did not know.
The results suggest Scottish Labour's proposal to hike income tax by 1p to offset Scottish Government cuts to council budgets will struggle to gain traction with the electorate.
Ipsos MORI conducted telephone interviews with 1000 people over the age of 16 between February 1 and 7. Where figures do not tally to 100%, this may be due to computer rounding or the exclusion of don’t knows.
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Banishing Labour from the Welsh Assembly
Political
debate is dominated by what the Westminster-based parties are doing -
their internal conflicts and disagreements - rather than what they will
do to improve our country. This is bad news for democracy and bad news
for Wales.
The Party of Wales has always insisted that the next Assembly election should be a competition of ideas. Parties should be judged on their plans to strengthen the Welsh economy, revive our education systems and protect and improve outcomes in ou...
See More
The Party of Wales has always insisted that the next Assembly election should be a competition of ideas. Parties should be judged on their plans to strengthen the Welsh economy, revive our education systems and protect and improve outcomes in ou...
See More
Plaid
Cymru Leader Leanne Wood AM has today said that her party is ready to
lead the next government of Wales as the only united choice…
Tuesday, 29 December 2015
Scotland Achieves Separation without 2nd Referendum
Government release post-flood map of UK
In the wake of the December floods, Prime Minister David Cameron has unveiled a new map of the UK.“Rather than try to fight future flooding or repair damage, we thought it best to just embrace it and welcome them as a feature. Perhaps now we can have an even Greater Britain in 2016” the Prime Minster and Peppa Pig enthusiast told the press this afternoon.
The map has some striking new features. Most noticeably is the creation of a new stretch of sea crossing what was formally the North of England up to the Scottish border. This new body of water will be known as The Straits of Pish.
The news has been welcomed by the SNP and its MPs, as they claim it will strengthen the cause for an independent Scotland.
SNP representative Jock McDougal told BFNN: “These floods are brilliant for us, we aren’t even connected to England anymore. It’s what we’ve always wanted. It’s a wee Christmas Miracle.”
So abundant is the rejoicing in Scotland that a new town on the southern coast will known as “Salmond-upon-sea”.
There is bad news for first time buyers in Manchester, with house prices set to skyrocket. Many homes in the city center are already being listed as “coastal property” and high-rise flats described as having “Sea views”.
When asked what will happen to the residents of the former cities of Preston, Hull, York and Newcastle, Mr Cameron responded saying, “Never heard of them, no trick questions please.”
Sunday, 27 December 2015
Angus and Alex - a Formidable Duo
SNP’s Westminster Leader Angus Robertson planning more Tory bloody noses
THE SNP’s Westminster leader Angus Robertson admits he still has to pinch himself to make sure he didn’t dream 2015.
A year ago he led a party of six – now there are nearly 10 times as many SNP MPs.
1 Minute
He said: “I still find myself at group meetings looking round the room thinking what total transformation.
“From being able to fit the entire parliamentary party round one meeting room table to now, where we have trouble securing meeting rooms large enough to house everyone.”
Robertson was the General Election campaign manager who masterminded the SNP’s success.
And since May, he’s carved out a niche not just as a respected player at Prime Minister’s Questions, putting David Cameron on the spot, but also in picking the party’s parliamentary battles.
He explained: “As the Government only has a majority of 12 there are a series of issues where, given the SNP numbers, we can have an impact on whether the Government is able to go forward or whether they have to perform a U-turn.”
He cites the Tories’ tax credits climbdown as well as forcing them to scrap plans to extend Sunday trading in England and water down the fox hunting ban as examples where SNP opposition has proven critical. And he’s promised to continue.
He admits he was prepared for the party’s elevation to becoming Westminster’s third force, effectively measuring the curtains this time last year in what was the Lib Dems’ suite of offices at the heart of parliament.
He said: “The penny was dropping that there was the possibility of a game-changing result in terms of SNP representation in the House of Commons.
“The UK polling numbers and the Scottish polling numbers were suggesting it was beginning to look like the SNP would have more parliamentarians than the Lib Dems.
We’d become the third party and with being the third party comes a significant range of rights and responsibilities at Westminster.”
But 2015 has not been plain-sailing.
The 56 are already down to 54 after MPs Michelle Thomson and Natalie McGarry resigned the party whip to deal with separate allegations of financial impropriety.
As election supremo, shouldn’t Robertson have taken more of an interest in vetting candidates?
“Political parties reflect society and there will always be a range of backgrounds in political parties and a range of experiences. It’s not always possible to get to the bottom of aspects of peoples’ past no matter how hard we try.”
He added: “It’s for Michelle Thomson and Natalie McGarry to answer outstanding questions and resolve their situation and I hope that is what they are able to do.”
Despite his General Election role, Robertson has not been handed any specific job for the Holyrood elections.
But he insists it’s not a snub.
“John Swinney is campaign director and I get on tremendously well with him.
“I’m happy to share any insights I have and support him.
“I have the biggest role that anybody could wish for in the SNP in the House of Commons and that is to lead a group of extremely talented parliamentarians while at the same time coordinating with our colleagues in the Scottish Parliament and at SNP headquarters.”
Thursday, 24 December 2015
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
Welsh the True Britons
Are the WELSH the truest Brits? English genomes share German and French DNA - while Romans and Vikings left no trace
- Scientists found that Britain can be divided into 17 distinct genetic 'clans'
- The Welsh have the most DNA from the original settlers of the British Isles
- English genomes are a quarter German and 45 per cent French in origin
- French DNA dates from before the Norman conquests of Britain in 1066
- Despite their reputation for raping the Vikings left little trace of their DNA
- The ancient Romans also left little of their DNA behind after their conquest
- People in Cornwall and Devon form two distinct groups that rarely mixed
We like to think of ourselves as being different from our European neighbours.
But the English owe a lot to the French and a fair amount to the Germans – at least as far as our genes are concerned.
For
a study has mapped the genetic make-up of Britain. Researchers analysed
the genetic code of 2,000 white Britons and compared the results to
data on more than 6,000 people from ten European countries.
The study found that Britain can be divided into 17 distinct genetic 'clans', as shown in the map above
They found that many of us have DNA that is 45 per cent French in origin while many white Britons are a quarter German.
Surprisingly,
given that they invaded and occupied large parts of the British Isles
for four centuries, there is little genetic trace of the Romans.
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Similarly,
the Vikings may have a reputation for rape and pillage but the genetic
evidence shows they did not have enough children with the locals for
their Danish DNA to be present today.
The
Anglo-Saxons, in contrast, did leave a genetic legacy, with about 20
per cent of the DNA of many English people coming from the invaders who
arrived 1,600 years ago.
The diagram above shows the European
ancestry of each of the 17 genetic clusters found in the new genetic
study of the UK. The Welsh were found to have DNA that dates back to the
earliest settlers of Britain
Further DNA comes from earlier migrants from what is now Germany.
The French contribution to our genes did not come from the conquering Normans but from much earlier.
Some
is from the earliest modern Britons who arrived after the last Ice Age
and more came from a mystery set of migrants who settled before the
Romans invaded.
Other countries to contribute genes to English DNA include Belgium, Denmark and Spain.
The
Oxford University study, which examined people whose grandparents had
all been born near each other and were white European in origin,
revealed that Caucasian Britons can be separated into 17 distinct
genetic groups.
Remarkably,
many of these modern-day ‘clans’ are found in the same parts of the
country as the tribes and kingdoms of the 6th century – suggesting
little changed in Britain for almost 1,500 years.
The people of Orkney are the most distinct, a result of 600 years of Norwegian rule.
The Welsh are the next most distinct.
They have so much DNA from the first modern settlers, that they could claim to be the truest of Britons.
But
even within Wales there are two distinct tribes, with those in the
north and south of the principality less similar genetically than the
Scots are to the inhabitants of Kent.
Clear
differences can be seen between the inhabitants of Cornwall and Devon,
while West Yorkshire and Cumbria also have their own genetic heritage.
The scientists found Caucasians in
Britain can be divided into 17 genetic groups living in different parts
of the country, as shown in the diagram above. Each group had varying
amounts of European DNA in their genes
Britain
today is much more genetically diverse than 125 years ago, when the
grandparents of those who took part in the study were around, but the
same technique could be used to read someone’s DNA and work out which
parts of the UK their ancestors came from.
The research, published in the journal Nature, did not find any obvious genetic footprint from the Romans or Danish Vikings.
However,
this is not down to a lack of virility – merely that they were not here
in large enough numbers to have had enough children for their genes to
live on today.
Study
co-leader Sir Walter Bodmer said: ‘You get a relatively small group of
people who can dominate a country that they come into and there are not
enough of them, however much they intermarry, to have enough of an
influence that we can detect them in the genetics that we do.
‘At
that time, the population of Britain could have been as much as one
million, so an awful lot of people would need to arrive in order for
there to be an impact.’
The map of
the UK on the left shows how the country can be divided into 17 distinct
groups that have a striking relationship with geography. Each of the
clusters is represented by a different symbol while the ellipses give a
sense of the geographical range of each genetic cluster. The map on the
right shows the regions of ancient British, Irish and Saxon control
which relate to many of the modern genetic clusters
His colleague Professor Peter Donnelly added: 'Genetics tells us the story of what happens to the masses.
'There
were already large numbers of people in those areas of Britain by the
time the Danish Vikings came so to have a substantial impact on the
genetics there would need to be very large numbers of them leaving DNA
for subsequent generations.
The study is the first detailed look
at the genetic make up of Caucasian Britons and establish that they form
17 distinct groups. A stock photograph of a scientist examining the
results of DNA sequencing is shown above
'The
fact we don't get a signal is probably about numbers rather than the
relative allure or lack thereof of Scandinavians to English women.'
Others
said that the Danes may actually have been more attractive to local
women because their habit of washing weekly meant they were seen as
cleaner.
THE WEST COUNTRY NEIGHBOURS WHO HAVE REMAINED RIVALS
They may be neighbours but they have never been close. Now, genetics could explain why.
The genetic map of the British Isles has revealed that the inhabitants of Cornwall and Devon are two distinct groups.
And,
remarkably, the divide in their DNA is an almost exact match for the
modern geographical boundary between the two countries.
In
other words, people with Cornish genes tend to live on one side of the
river Tamar, while those with Devon DNA are on the other.
Dr Magdalena Skipper, of the journal Nature, described the match as 'truly stunning'.
Oxford University researcher Sir Walter Bodmer said: 'It's an extraordinary result.'
The study also showed that the Cornish have fewer genes in common with the rest of the UK than the people of Devon.
Sir
Walter said this can likely be explained by the Anglo-Saxons taking
longer to reach Cornwall – and so contributing less DNA to the gene pool
there than in Devon.
He added that there would also have been political and cultural barriers 'not to cross into Devon'
He said: 'People from Cornwall wanted to keep to themselves more.'
They may
share a coastline, but the people living in Devon, shown left in the
picture of Woolacombe, and in Cornwall, shown right in the picture of
Mawgan Porth, were found to make up two distinct genetic groups
It
includes contributions from some of the earliest modern Britons who
arrived after the last Ice Age and mystery set of migrants who came here
after these first settlers but before the Romans.
Britain
today is much more genetically diverse that 125 years ago but the same
technique could be used to read someone's DNA and work out which parts
of the UK their ancestors came from.
The study took into account the fact that Roman soldiers came from many different countries and not just Italy.
Sir
Walter said: 'At that time, the population of Britain could have been
as much as one million, so an awful lot of people would need to arrive
in order for there to be an impact.
'You can have a huge impact culturally from relatively few people.
'There is no evidence of a Roman genetic signature but there is evidence of what the Roman's achieved.'
Dr
Michael Dunn, of the Wellcome Trust, which funded the study, said:
'These researchers have been able to use modern genetic techniques to
provide answers to the centuries' old question – where we come from.
'Beyond the fascinating insights into our history, this information could prove very useful from a health perspective.
'Building
a picture of population genetics at this scale may in future help us to
design better genetic studies to investigate disease.'
VIKINGS PILLAGED BUT APPEAR NOT TO HAVE DONE MUCH RAPING
The
Vikings may have a ferocious reputation for raping and pillaging their
way across the British Isles, but it appears they may not have been as
sex mad as was believed.
Analysis
of thousands of DNA samples from the UK, continental Europe and
Scandinavia revealed a surprising lack of Viking genes in England,
despite the Norsemen once occupying much of the country.
Even
in Orkney, which was a part of Norway from 875 to 1472, the Vikings
contributed only about 25 per cent of the current gene pool.
It suggests that the Vikings mixed very little with the indigenous population they initially terrorised and then conquered.
The
international team led by scientists from Oxford University and the
Wellcome Trust wrote in the journal Nature: 'While many of the
historical migration events leave signals in our data, they have had a
smaller effect on the genetic composition of UK populations than has
sometimes been argued.
'In
particular, we see no clear genetic evidence of the Danish Viking
occupation and control of a large part of England suggesting a
relatively limited input of DNA from the Danish Vikings and subsequent
mixing with nearby regions, and clear evidence for only a minority Norse
contribution (about 25 per cent) to the current Orkney population.'
The
Vikings, from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, carried out extensive raids
and occupations across wide areas of northern and central Europe between
the eighth and late 11th centuries.
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