Scots are six weeks away from a referendum on independence from Britain and they are getting the hard sell from British rock stars, Olympic champions and one former captain of the Starship Enterprise to keep the kingdom united.
“We want to let you know how very much we value our bonds of citizenship with you, and to express our hope that you will vote to renew them,” said a letter signed by 200 people, including singers Mick Jagger and Sting, actresses Judi Dench and Helena Bonham Carter, and actors like Patrick Stewart. “What unites us is much greater than what divides us. Let’s stay together,” the letter added.
Only those who live in Scotland can take part in the referendum and organizers of Thursday’s initiative, called Let’s Stay Together, included few, if any, celebrities who can vote on Sept. 18. They live in places like England, Wales or New York.
However, they hope an emotional appeal to whom they see as their Scottish brothers and sisters, alongside a public petition calling on Scots to reject independence, will help Scotland vote “no.”
Dan Snow, a television presenter and one of the organizers of the campaign, said he felt “passionately” about Britain.
“I don’t have a vote in the Scottish referendum, but I certainly have a view, and I really hope that our shared country stays together,” he said in a statement.
The Let’s Stay Together campaign, befitting its artistic membership, takes a mellower approach than other efforts opposed to Scottish independence.
Politicians who oppose separation have been accused of trying to scare Scots about the economic consequences of going it alone. Campaigners against independence also highlight its risks, stressing that the three main British political parties say they would refuse a currency union with an independent Scotland and that Scots would be unable to use the British pound sterling.
Scots have not been short on advice from celebrities trying to win their votes. The campaign for independence has been endorsed by prominent figures including the actors Sean Connery, Brian Cox and Alan Cumming. Those opposed to separation recently won the support of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, who is English, but lives in Scotland.
On Thursday, pro-independence campaigners shrugged off the latest initiative.
“It’s great to know that Scotland has so many friends and admirers, and we know they will all continue to be our friends and admirers after we vote yes on Sept. 18,” the campaign for independence, known as Yes Scotland, said in a statement.
“We’re sure that everyone who genuinely has Scotland’s interests at heart will be delighted in future years to see a fairer and more prosperous Scotland emerge using the great opportunities of independence to grow our economy and make an even bigger contribution on the global stage,” the statement continued.
It remains to be seen if English or Welsh celebrities will be able to win the votes of patriotic Scots. One campaigner for independence said he doubted his compatriots would be swayed by some of those who signed the letter, including Will Carling, a former captain of England’s rugby team — one of Scotland’s fiercest rivals.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of