Scotland is a "nation of drunkards" and must end its shameful relationship with alcohol, Scottish Prime Minister Alex Salmond said in an interview with GQ magazine.
"There is something deep within Scots that affects their attitude to alcohol and it has to do with self-confidence. It is a lack of self-confidence, possibly in the whole nation. We need to do something about it," said Salmond, whose statement indicated that he sees a connection between the Scots' problem with alcoholism and the fact that Scotland is not an independent country, the British "Daily Mail" reported.
In the interview, Salmond also criticized the Scottish Whiskey Association, which opposes the Edinburgh government's intention to increase the price of alcoholic drinks by introducing a minimum price of 50 pence (0,6 euros) per unit of alcohol.
That plan, however, hit a snag as a Scottish court ruled yesterday that the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg must rule on whether Scotland's proposed minimum alcohol price bill complies with EU law.
Salmond pointed out that when he's abroad he promotes Scotch whisky, but added: "I would argue that if you're already promoting whiskey as an authentic and valuable product, you can't promote it from a nation of drinkers."
Critics called Salmond's claims in the GQ interview offensive and "an unforgivable attack on the people of Scotland".
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