Cameron seeks Scottish 'respect'

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Conservative leader David Cameron is promising that he will "never, ever take Scotland for granted".

He is using a speech in Glasgow to acknowledge that the Tories' political status in Scotland is "pretty dismal".

He blames "a series of blunders" in the 1980s and 1990s for his party's present status, with only one MP at Westminster and 17 out of 129 seats at Holyrood.

But the world is "very different now", he adds, and calls for the English to overcome an "ignorance" of Scotland.

"In some ways, the links between Scotland and England have never been stronger," Mr Cameron says.

"More Scots live in England, and more English people live in Scotland, than ever before. Almost half of all Scots have English relatives.

"Travel back and forth across the border is at an all-time high. Nevertheless, all's not well with the Union."

No-one is prouder of being English than I am. But I'm also passionately attached to the idea of Britain David Cameron

He gives several examples to support this, referring to a recent Sunday Times and YouGov poll suggesting more Scots favoured independence than the present devolved status.

He also speaks of the so-called West Lothian Question - which deal with the different powers of the Westminster and Holyrood Parliaments - and cases of anti-English feeling in Scotland during this summer's World Cup.

'Proud'

Mr Cameron says that he will fight calls for Scottish independence from the rest of the UK "all the way".

"No-one is prouder of being English than I am. But I'm also passionately attached to the idea of Britain.

"Being British isn't about ethnicity or local identity. It's one of the most successful examples in history of an inclusive civic nationalism.

There were protests against the introduction of the poll tax in 1989"I'm a Unionist and every corner of this United Kingdom is precious to me, including Scotland."

He calls for an end to "ignorant and inaccurate" stereotypes of Scots by the English, which he says can be "depressing".

However, he also says people in England should "educate themselves" about Scots.

And he singles out a "suspicion" among shopkeepers in England of currency issued by Scottish banks as a prime example of "disrespect".

'Serious'

Mr Cameron calls on Scots to avoid being "cowed or intimidated into remaining part of the UK through fear of the economic consequences of going it alone".

And he sets out a plea to those who have shunned his party in the past over issues such as the poll tax - which faced a non-payment campaign when introduced in Scotland under the Thatcher government - to think again.

"Yes, we opposed devolution, but the world is very different now and the Conservatives are determined to make a success of Holyrood.

"Yes, we centralised too much in the past - but today we're serious about giving decision-making power to local people and local communities.

"Yes, we made mistakes - but we've faced up them," he says, before calling for a Union between Scotland and England which will "work for all of us".