Whilst it is certainly true that the UK has consistently failed to reach the 0.7 per cent target over the past forty years, it should be pointed that no country has hit its foreign aid target over the same period. The reasons are not that hard to figure out.

Firstly, most of the recipient countries don't have the bureaucracy or infrastructure to absorb the funding. Secondly, quite a number of the recipient countries including the Indian sub-continent have had very rapid changes of government, civil wars, famines, endemic government corruption and an inability to protect aid workers causing consistent and persistent interruptions in the funding stream. Thirdly, there has been widespeard abuse of foreign aid a.k.a. "poor people in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries".

Effectively, Mr. Yousaf's pledge to spend 1 per cent of GDP on foreign aid may be a lot more ambitious than either his Government, NGOs or aid agencies are capable of dealing with. One might also point out that there are no votes in being generous with the taxpayers money on questionable foreign enterprises. Still, we must congratulate him on his candour.

Courtesy Sunday Mail

MiIROSLAV Lajcak says his country - which came into existence 20 years ago after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia - is following Scotland's situation closely.

SLOVAKIA'S deputy prime minister this morning threw further doubt on whether an independent Scotland would remain in the European Union.

Miroslav Lajcak is the latest politician to enter the ongoing row over Scotland's future within the EU if the country votes to leave the UK.

The Scottish Government has insisted that rather than applying for European membership, an independent Scotland would negotiate the terms of this from within the EU.

But opponents claim if the union with the UK was ended, Scotland would have to apply for European membership.

Mr Lajcak, whose country was formed 20 years ago after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, said the possibility of Scotland becoming independent was "not for us to judge".

But he told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme the debate about the country's future was "something we are following quite closely" in Slovakia.

"We are interested," he said. "We know that our case is one of interest."

When asked if a new country would continue as a member of the EU, Mr Lajcak said: "As far as I know there is a discussion about exactly this issue going on in Brussels. There is no clear answer to this.

"There should be an evaluation of the readiness... but in the end it's a political decision made by all the member states."

Mr Lajcak said that when Slovakia came into existence in 1993, "many people were sceptical about the chances for us to exist, let alone prosper".

But he added: "Right now everybody understands and acknowledges we have been a success story.

"So the general feeling is there was scepticism at the beginning, people were not convinced that a split of Czechoslovakia was the best idea, but right now we are doing well, Czech Republic is doing well, and our friendship is better than ever."

THE pro-independence group Yes Scotland has launched its first campaign of the year, revealing more than 130 local activist groups are now in place across the country.

EACH local authority area is covered by community-based groups embarking on a leafleting blitz over the weekend.

The drive comes at the end of a week when a survey suggested support for independence slipped back last year to its lowest level - 23% - since devolution in 1999.

Marking the start of this year's campaigning, Yes Scotland will distribute about half a million leaflets at about 100 events.

Blair Jenkins, chief executive of the group, said: "In 2013 we are keen to move the debate from the 'how' to the 'why' of independence.

"We want people to start thinking about what kind of country they want, what kind of country Scotland could be and to think about why being independent could be the best way to achieve our aspirations and goals.

"So, the Hands Up for a Better Scotland initiative is asking, are you happy with the way things are? Or do you think they could be better? We are just asking people to think about that.

"A fairer, greener, more prosperous and more confident Scotland has got to be worth thinking about, but it has become clear that the Westminster system cannot deliver these goals."

The campaign was launched in Glasgow.

Yes Scotland communities director Shirley-Anne Somerville said: "The campaign for a Yes vote in 2014 will be won at grass-roots level.

"Our plans to engage with people in every community in Scotland are well advanced as we seek to give them all the quality information they need to make an informed choice in 2014."

Scottish Government calls on the UK Department for Transport to spell out when high-speed rail would reach Scotland

Am I missing something...the Scottish Gov is asking the UK Gov when it's going to build a railway up to here....when it wants to separate from them next year? Maybe Alex should be asking Norway if they would like to build a bridge over to Inverness?

Given the snail's pace that these lines ate being built, we're more likely to be part of an Inter-Galactic Union if they ever get around to it...

Courtesy Letters page Sunday Herald

Scots are sovereign

Scotland's constitutional future

FIRSTMinister Alex Salmond, and now John Drummond, chair of the Constitutional Commission, have requested a written constitution for Scotland, post-independence (In or out of Europe, Scotland needs a written constitution, Comment, January 20).

This is a rather odd position to postulate in the light of the historical facts.

Scotland-UN (which I founded in 1970) is the only pro-devolution / independence organisation that received an invitation to, and sent delegates to, a United Nations Human Rights Committee meeting in Geneva in June 1980,where our delegates put Scotland's case for self-determination on the world's stage.

Scotland has had, for more than 1500 years, a written constitution (the oldest in the Western world), which merely requires additional clauses passed in Scotland's Parliament to bring it up to the needs and aspirations of the people of Scotland going forward in the 21st century.

No other political or judicial system here or abroad has any dominion over the sovereign people of Scotland nor their Parliament, who are the sole arbiters and superior authority of all matters dealing with our constitution.

Which is why, in 1707, the people of Scotland responded to the news of the loss of their Parliament with unbridled fury.

Any legislation of modern times, be it from London or Strasbourg, does not, nor can it, diminish or overturn the legitimacy of Scottish sovereignty as the superior constitutional authority.

Why? Because the people of Scotland were never consulted in 1707.

John JG McGill
(General Secretary, Scotland-UN)
Kilmarnock