jack of all scots and they want to talk to you. i would be a lot of that to be sufficient why would we want to do anything other than promote that of a semi consolation i had a period of time when i represented the largest fishing community in europe and i used to think that we were fairly set there with a till the discover that selling a product the scots like was steam meant at least ten percent premium and selling it as prawns i've never seen such a rapid conversion to the what language. do not be that your your fellow farmers second third fourth fifth generation if they could be persuaded to but the bottom line will be queuing up to support the bill we have to maintain the brand and we have to sell without bond with all the visions of this you know hills and glans and nest and this iconic feeling of comfort that people get from scotland if we say we won't have to compete because we're going to sell

a premium product they're all going to be people in this country want to buy a place so we can do a bit up there's a billion middle class consumers in asia by twenty twenty there will be a billion middle class consumers. the best thing champagne the drink in the finest scotch whisky we should be having a program to get needs of beer count back on terror hells so that we sale the best beef in the world bar none come from those who wasn't planned to asian market of a billion middle class consumers so it's like a great bush and i can't i can't deliver that campaign of which you spoke but i come off of the salmon quick for something to wash it down with the scots llama beef or stay with the best of the scottish product thank you very much it is so much for that view has been my pleasure thank you so we've heard from a campaigner and a practitioner coming up after the break when i hear from an academic on the national branding of scotland.

what politicians do something to. put themselves on the line to get accepted or rejected. so when you want to be president or injury. or something i want to be that's. what's it like to be press that's what the four three in the morning can't be good that i'm interested always in the waters of my. question. euro centric point of view has seen a lot of criticism lately. does euro's centrism know it still being the idea that you know it's confronting so it's.

still. a local still it is. my. daughter who was. given a destroyer. on. all fours to well it's only about the looking. forward to one of them while calling. for a. move. you'll move on.

welcome back continuing with our theme of call the new brand alex leff speaks academic professor to a black. professor you're one of the international authorities on brand image for tourism purposes as a way to measure the success of this academically beyond just counting the number of visitors you get to your country actually measurement of tourism branding is relatively new and only goes back about forty years and there are multiple indexes that are used however in reality one of the most important measurement is brand personality. would you say that scotland has had substantial success or in this area or do you think they're still on the playing and assets for

a nation of only five million people to attract twenty five million tourism. tourists annually in scotland punch is way above its weight in terms of the tourism agenda but look at the last few years would you could you identify themes or events which have been particularly successful in and branding scotland well if we go back to two thousand and nine homecoming scotland this was really the seminal year which led to all of the theme years that followed as a result of homecoming scotland it's repeated again in two thousand and fourteen but this time alongside the ryder cup and the commonwealth games. dollar come to sort of look at that and say how but something we could we could do as well or so there's a lot of emulation goes on and the sort of branding visitors and to some numbers that's a really good question because in fact other nations have tried to emulate scotland

and not been successful so one of our opportunities is to consult with license help develop tourism branding around the world based on the scotland model scotland has a strong image for for visitors on a high percentage of visitors to the local population but the places were fed in scotland what would you point to as examples of cities of titans who've managed to make their mark. two cities in particular in scotland have risen very quickly first glasgow with their tourism branding slogan of people make glasgow which was developed by surveying hundreds and hundreds of thousands of glaswegians to come up with words that resonate with the local population so it's truly authentic those people make glasgow make glasgow that's right and then in the city of edinburgh the slogan is this is edinburgh which allows every citizen to contribute their own

voice as edinburgh is doing now with the edinburgh twenty fifty project to develop the future of this this great city so from what you say scotland has achieved a very strong brand identity and has a very high percentage of visitors to the local population is there anything else scotland should be doing from from your assessment as a something else that could be cutting through on yes indeed we should continue to evaluate and analyze brand perceptions of brand scotland but in addition we should not only listen with our head but also our heart it reminds me of when the scottish parliament building that beautiful iconic building or opened in edinburgh many years ago and edwin morgan wrote that wonderful poem open the doors he was the mark of the national poet of sad also correct and mr morgan's point resonated with the entire country so that today our tourism slogan is scotland is now and now it's all about opening the doors to everyone to say this is

a welcoming caring sharing country we invite you to join us so from a visitor point of view that that's a strong brand identity doesn't carry forward the two people buying products the people see the identity as the reason for for purchasing more let's say food products international yes people make their decision to purchase tourism items. not just based upon emotion but also based upon the economic offer so this is why the challenge of brics it and the challenge of trade tariffs could negatively impact tourism and it's very important that we soften this as much as possible now talked about some of the successes. in recent years the thinking not just about scotland but maybe into mass other early catastrophic elements you can. or or didn't come off or things that were a bit of

a for power for any particular country many years ago i was invited by the world bank to assist with the development of the two thousand anniversary of the birth of jesus christ in bethlehem as part of the millennium celebrations and i advise the mayor of bethlehem not to release live white doves at midnight because they would fly into the large television lights and in fact be baked and he asked what i suggest as an alternative and i said similar to what they did at the lillehammer winter olympics they used latex rubber gloves filled with helium it created the same effect they could capture them reuse them it was sustainable of course he didn't like my advice and he released his two thousand white doves and they had two thousand roasted on international television and that's the only message that remembers sadly from that iconic event so you would have to choose your slogans

carefully. that's exactly right especially on the two thousand than a version of the birth of jesus christ so they could be very mishaps but they're also been some stunning success is not just in scotland but a people's image of a country of a people is actually part of a well chosen and perhaps authentic slogan something has to be authentic to work doesn't it to. two of the most authentic slogans that have ever been developed for tourism purposes are i love new york which has been phenomenally successful over the last forty years and will probably continue to be successful because again it was developed organically similar to this is edinburgh allowing the people to connect with the slogan because if the residents don't connect with the slogan or with the tourism branding the no amount of whitewash is going to make this authentic i'm thinking of the great successes only in edinburgh castle for example

was a million have visit you wouldn't they be forgiven for saying listen folks are going to come to edinburgh castle whether we mark the know it how do you stop people sitting on the lot of us look for three hundred million years since that volcano erupted behind us here people have been interested in this city as a destination and because sir walter scott literally invented mass tourism with this publication of the point of the lady of the lake that attracted the english to come up to our beautiful country tourism is something that is part of human nature it will only grow from strength to strength and when the economy actually takes a news dive tourism generally rises because people need more escapism so you would say better rest on your laurels always be looking to the fresher your image the fresher bond and keep keep pushing on yes and one of the ways that scotland has not rested on his laurels is by promoting film tourism the u.k.

recently did a study and they identified that forty percent of all tourists made a positive decision to visit the u.k. because of a film they'd seen in their local cinema well where are most of the films in the u.k. produced these days on these beautiful lands and so scotland is well positioned to grow from strength to strength well professor. god bless your image of scotland standing there yourself but i've got one more piece of scottishness to give you and that is of course the alex salmond quick and i don't have to i don't have to tell you this but just the best whisky and olympia close friends and i don't think you will be when we when we enjoy this quake at our home we will always drink in the traditional way. like i think of you thank you what i would some of the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us so said scotland's national bard

robert barnes but what is one's reputation abroad and how can that be used in utilised to sell scottish goods and services take a look at this recent question in the house of commons but michael gold was questioned by the firm of the west fight them be douglas chapman. introducing some of the finest food and drink which is exported around the world l. is a sequential well over we balance of payments and it's based on a value scottish brand could ask the minister what steps it is taking to protect scotland the brand to surely efficient quality food and drink is enhanced during and after the vexed process was a very constructive contribution actually because it scotland as a brand is a very powerful one i mention because ski and smoked salmon but it is the case that the high quality producers of scotland from those who are responsible for. beef in the north east of scotland to lose are responsible for the the wonderful organic

carrots and potatoes of aberdeenshire these food producers are individuals who work incredibly hard it's my desire to champion and that's why i'm just a little bit sad little bit sad that the transplants from scotland has decided not to collaborate with the u.k. government and making sure that we have affected u.k. wide frameworks in order to provide a farm platform for exports and growth in the future that douglas chapman joins me now i'm delighted to say you don't get too much make or go over there aren't sure how familiar they call girl who was brought up in the northeast of scotland seem to be with the range of scottish brodeur's well the range of scottish producers as fantastic and we all know that and the quality especially in the food and drink sector. beyond compare i would suggest but certainly the. scotland as been promoted. lot needs to really get a big shot in the arm because we need to put the brakes it's going to happen then

we need to be selling scottish goods across the globe like never before and also to keep retaining a european markets which are exceptionally strong from perspective but i don't go when i answer your questions seem to be running a product of an organic collets a wonderful aberdeenshire believe me but it wasn't necessarily the first selection of range of products i would have gone to but would you say this is the case to a veteran s.n.p. campaigner and scott when the boat people were using. stock the world scott wants to get on is that the sort of message you're putting forward well absolutely needs to be really really pragmatic because what we should be about is making sure that we have a strong successful scottish economy and at the heart of that can be the different task that produce that comes from scotland not just an organic carrots but across the whole spectrum of food and drink and other services and produce that we can

produce in her interested country police chapman thank you so much like you. said connick image of scotland heather totten bagpipes wild man and wild woman as well and there but a castle the guardian of the nation now these are the images which have stood scotland a good stead not just in marketing itself for tourism but marketing its products what old white but from what we have today there is a more sophisticated underpinning of that brand of that image of scotland something that touches on scientific invention quality of food authenticity these are the things that cut through in the modern world so scotland the brave is very important but so is scotland the brand. so for myself and all the alex on until as good bye from my butt out of my.

four men are sitting in a car when the fifth gets shot in the head. all four different versions of what. one of them is on the death row there's no way he could have done it there's no possible way because the oldest did not shoot around a corner. everywhere in the world my guess is

that probably just about everywhere women expect men to make that first move and here we are in an age where men a scared to make the first move don't know how to make the first move don't know what's right to make the first move. the pleasures funds is guaranteed returns that those being abused by the crooks are using the guarantee to shovel it a lot of toxic garbage that is ending up is a county bill because at the end of the day a lot of these pension accounts are not being cut back people who think that they had a pension are being told it's been run out you're out of touch any more you're now flat broke you have to go out to the street and big for money go get addicted to heroin we don't want you anymore drop dead. clothes. some fool simple.

indigenous people as you know we that the feed in the oil the treif. most flukey should say that's only the feeling but the seeds. of a sudden the man just ran and pulled be there was time. i i said. when they enter it even if they were not alone. if they will shoot me. i don't. mean you indeed i'm not them i think indian i'm in the bin that you have been you don't mind if you're in a manner that by the time you go to like i mean you can you know you. was.

syrian president bashar al assad warns activist group the white helmets they will be wiped out like other terrorists if they refuse to surrender. donald trump claims russia might interfere in the upcoming midterm elections to help his rivals the democrats as the issue of russian battling remains divisive. it's meddling in the way that osama bin ladin meddled with the world trade center. and more than six hundred migrants forced their way into spain storming through a border fence between the country's enclave of sirte and morocco.

this is r.t. international coming to you live from moscow i'm kate partridge thank you for joining us. syrian president bashar assad has issued an ultimatum to the activist group known as the white helmets branding them terrorists they currently hold up in the last rebel stronghold in syria which is surrounded by government forces. the fate of the white helmets will be the same is that any terrorist they have to pass on to lay down their arms and take advantage of the amnesty will be wiped out like other terrorists well the syrian president bashar al assad has reiterated his position on the white house it's being a controversial group now in the past he's regarded the white house if there's agents of western powers that have links to jihad this great finn he said that the world has been warned of the groups dangerous this comes as the syrian government

has condemned the evacuation of the white house minutes from the south of the country and damascus has described the move as a criminal operation by israel and its tools but the israel defense forces said that they were acting on a request by the u.s. the u.k. and other european nations as well but the evacuees were taken to jordan by the i.d.f. on washington's request and it's thought that the plan was to evacuate around eight hundred white helmets and their families but the number now seems to be about half of that and the number of them are expected to resettle in western countries such as canada germany and france tell us a bit more about this evacuation what was needed well at the moment the syrian army is currently advancing on one of the last rebel centers in syria but this aside for the year is the white house myth groups have advertise themselves as a volunteer force and they get a huge funding from western countries and the groups also being praised by the west as well they've even received an offer for a documentary but the group's been repeatedly accused of cooperating closely with

the hardest groups and effectively serving as that media branch as well stage and rescue operations the social media as well so that all this all adds up to the controversy surrounding the great. good all you saw with nor they would bring cameras and explosives something to destroy for example this building here they'd find people in the streets and promised the money or food to say whatever they needed. the syrian first responders who risked their lives to say about there is a war torn aleppo in the face of on relenting brutality heroes have emerged.

whenever food aid was brought into the white helmets and the rebels would take it all for themselves they give us nothing not even bread. they have all chosen to risk their lives to save others. who fall into that of usually when we go out to buy food we'd see them if there was a collapsed building after a shilling they've cordoned off the area and safe rebel fighters or people they cared about they would leave the civilians same happened not far from here the building was destroyed in shelling and they came just to pull their own out as usual they left the civilians. we've been able to get these brave people and their families out of syria after the extraordinary work they've

done save. the why helmets those people they held the rebels only did in save civilians the locals out for rebels. headstone from the hamilton coalition to stop the war says western powers who are supporting the white helmet so fully aware of the threat posed by the. i don't think they're naive the people in the establishment they are interested party they know exactly what they're doing and in so far as the canadian government is concerned they brought the white house and that's our representatives twice to canada told the establishment knows full well that this group is part of the arsenal of weaponry that is being used against illegally against the government of syria and they continue to give us money they are attached to them they are

terrorists and they are telling them that they are conducting they are saving syrian civilians well there is a lot of testimony from syrian civilians that their white helmets never help them so these people are not heroes but they are portrayed as heroes in the west if someone put it here one of my colleagues in the peace movement said they are the sugar coating on an off ugly and illegal war so the the people at the top know exactly what they're doing but they're telling a different story to the ordinary people in the street. donald trump faces a major test of his presidency later this year at the midterm elections these are widely seen as a vote of confidence in any administration but as artie's caleb maupin explains whether it's republicans or democrats u.s. politicians seem to know in advance who's to blame if the results don't go their

way. was so much did this in on capitol hill the democrats and republicans have finally found something that they can agree on both parties now agree that the russians are coming more specifically they're coming to interfere in the twenty eight teen mid-term elections this is president trump i'm very concerned that russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact in the upcoming election based on the five the new president has been tougher on russia than me they will be pushing very hard for the democrats they definitely don't want trump and this is his old arch nemesis there are some tax experts in silicon valley valley with whom i have met who say that you know maybe what they'll do this next time is to really disrupt the actual election shut down the servers that you send results to interfere with the operation of voting machines because still too many of them are linked to the internet so there we are still very vulnerable russia's meddling in

the midterm elections may just be a hypothesis at this point but the trumpet ministration from the department of homeland security to the secretary of state are ready to fight the two thousand and eighteen mid-term elections remain a potential target for russian cyber and influence operations i think we should be absolutely prepared to assume that they will try to interfere in all fifty states we will not tolerate russian interference in our two thousand and eighteen elections we are planning and preparing as if will try again this fall and beyond now it hasn't happened yet but the retaliate tory sanctions to be imposed on russia are all set up by congress we're going to pursue russia's energy and financial sectors which oligarchs parastatal entities it is my go along with senator graham to make sure that we're protecting the united states defending the united states folks in washington d.c. are manning their battle stations all prepared to face an on coming onslaught but

what are they worried about. well it could be the twenty sixteen presidential elections let's not forget that james clapper the former director of national intelligence said that in the twenty sixteen supposed intervention none of the vote tallies were in any way affected they did not change any kelley's or anything of that sort i mean you know we had knew we had no way of gauging. the impact that some of the intelligence community can't gauge the impact it had on the choices you looked through me furthermore it's not exactly clear who russia is supposedly going to be supporting now the democrats say that russia is going to be supporting donald trump but trump says that the pending kremlin subversion will be in support of the democrats why would he say that well because it makes just as what sense is what the democrats it was true everybody wants to blame another country for the problem you know the reason why thirty million americans don't have health care is nothing

to do with russia that has everything to do with the enemies of america which by the way are in america acts on the military industrial complex these are the enemies of america are tired government is bought it's legal bribery and they steal and cheat right out in the open americans car gobbling this up it's amazing you know we used to be afraid of russia because they had a communist ideology they're just kind of pressing that button on americans because we've been conditioned to be afraid of russia and their communism even though they're not communist that in war this will all be cleared up after the election whichever side loses can blame russia for it and after all it worked in the twenty sixteen presidential election for hillary clinton there is no reason that donald trump can't use it to his advantage caleb oppen r. t. washington d.c. when i asked me media analyst and democratic political consultant richard goodstein .