David Cameron appeals to 'quiet patriots' to save union with Scotland

 
Impassioned plea: David Cameron invoked memories of the 2012 Olympics in his speech
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 06: (EDITORS NOTE: Retransmission with alternate crop.) British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives for a visit to St Brigid's Catholic Primary School where they watched children take part in sporting activities on Februar
7 February 2014
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David Cameron today appealed to millions of “quiet patriots” to rise up to save the union with Scotland and maintain the UK’s position as a global beacon of “freedom, solidarity and compassion”.

The Prime Minister invoked memories of Nelson Mandela and the 2012 London Olympic spirit in an impassioned plea to people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to join the campaign against Scottish independence.

“In the darkest times in human history there has been, in the North Sea, a light that never goes out,” the Prime Minister said in a speech at the Olympic Park in Stratford.

“And if this family of nations broke up, something very powerful and precious would go out forever.”

Mr Cameron stressed “centuries of history hang in the balance” and warned if Scotland voted for independence there would be “no going back”.

Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused Mr Cameron of a “shameful” bid to use the Olympics as a “political tool” at the start of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

The Prime Minister’s intervention was a sign of “jitters” in the No camp in the face of polls showing growing enthusiasm for independence, she claimed.

But the Prime Minister appealed to the “quiet patriots” — who support the union but don’t believe they can influence the Scottish referendum in September — and the “shoulder shruggers” — who are ambivalent about its outcome — to have their say by emailing, phoning or texting people they know in Scotland to explain their views. He stressed his personal desire for a No vote, being equally proud of his Scottish and English heritage.

“The name Cameron might mean ‘crooked nose’ but the clan motto is ‘let us unite’,” he said.

On the eve of the Six Nations rugby union clash between England and Scotland at Murrayfield, the Prime Minister hailed the achievements of Team GB at the 2012 Games.

“It was the summer that patriotism came out of the shadows,” he said.

He made the case for the union based on four key principles of connections between the UK’s nations, future prosperity, Britain’s place in the world and its enduring values.

“This is a country that has never been cowed by bullies and dictators.

“This is a country that stands for something. Our shared values. Freedom. Solidarity. Compassion,” he added.

He highlighted how Nelson Mandela stood in the dock in the Pretoria Supreme Court in 1964 and praised the British Parliament as the “most democratic institution in the world” as he made the case against apartheid.

“So often, down the centuries, the UK has given people hope,” Mr Cameron emphasised.

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