I can’t help noticing the banner ” The Best Small Country in the World” - but what does it mean ?

Jack McConnell promised us : Scotland has a great future. We have one of the best educated workforces in the world with 50 per cent of our young people going into higher education. We are world leaders in many modern industries including financial services, life sciences, oil and gas. We have some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes and a quality of life that is hard to beat. But if we are to compete in the global economy and secure our future prosperity, we need to tackle urgently the single biggest challenge to our future success.

On 25 February 2004 in a statement to parliament he said: “We want to grow our economy and we want our country to grow too - in profile, image and stature. “Nurturing and retaining home-grown talent, encouraging ex-Scots back home and attracting fresh talent to our country sends a very strong signal to the world - that Scotland is back on the map and making her mark.

“It is a bold step for a small devolved country like ours to take, but one I am confident our people will rise to. For centuries we have been welcomed overseas. Now it is time for Scotland to be as welcoming in return. Our message is clear. If you have ambitions and you want to live and work in a dynamic country with a good quality of life, then this is the time, and Scotland is the place.”

Since then we have taken some significant steps towards making Scotland one of the world’s most welcoming countries.

Attracting the world’s brightest and best.

Scotland’s universities and colleges are first-class, with a global reputation for excellence in research and teaching. Little wonder then that an increasing number of international students are choosing to study here. We want to encourage some of the 50,000 non-Scots who study here each year to stay on after they graduate and help share in our success.

Telling the world about Scotland

Scotland has a unique selling point. We are known to be one of the friendliest, and educated, peoples in the world. But if we are to persuade people to settle here we need to actively promote our country and everything it has to offer. Promoting immigration is a bold step for a small country to make, but we are confident that with strong leadership and the right policies, we can attract some of the world’s most enterprising and ambitious people to help us build the best small country in the world.

…… all sounds impressive.

But is it me, or does it sound a bit too much like a well known lager brand ?…. probably the Best Small Country in the World.

For me, the launch of the new slogan, (albeit at a cost of c£125,00), is a step in the right direction. I like the new phrase - it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Opposition MSPs were sceptical about its replacement, but the SNP government said it was about more than a slogan.

Under the new scheme, each Scottish airport will have images to represent their local appeal, such as literature for Edinburgh, the Commonwealth Games for Glasgow and the oil industry for Aberdeen, all at an estimated cost of £100,000.

Speaking at Glasgow Airport, Culture Minister Linda Fabiani said the images would give people a taste of the very best of Scotland.

She said: “This is not about developing flashy slogans - it’s much more real that that.

“This is about showing what a modern, vibrant and successful country Scotland is. “

Liberal Democrat tourism spokesman Liam McArthur said: “Nationalist MSPs have spent years regaling us with tales of how fantastic Scotland is. Now, when they have a chance to create a brand for Scotland they give us this bland statement.”

Gavin Brown, the Conservative enterprise spokesman, said: “Next, Alex Salmond will be telling us this is the best small slogan in the world.”

Despite the criticism, the new scheme was welcomed by a number of bodies, including tourism agency VisitScotland, Scottish Financial Enterprise and the Robert Burns World Federation.

The phrase declaring Scotland as “the best small country in the world” was launched in 2005 by the then Labour first minister Jack McConnell.

Launching a withering attack on the slogan at the SNP’s 2006 conference, before the Nationalists’ election win, Mr Salmond said: “That one phrase encapsulates everything that is wrong with the first minister, with the executive and with our national tourist agency.

“It combines the worst of ‘wha’s like us?’ with the worst of an inferiority complex.

“Scotland’s only small to those who think small. It’s time to think big.”

I love it - and I’d like to extend the greeting to anyone visiting these shores………. WELCOME TO SCOTLAND