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All change as the Executive becomes the Government
EDDIE BARNES
(ebarnes@scotlandonsunday.com)
THE Scottish Executive is to be renamed the Scottish Government this week in the biggest change to the country's political identity since devolution.
First Minister Alex Salmond is to officially declare that, from tomorrow, all documents, letters and publicity material should carry the new name in what he says is a "common sense change".
At the same time, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom will be removed from all the Scottish Government's official documents and replaced with a saltire.
Yesterday, workmen began to pull down the "Scottish Executive" sign outside the government's Victoria Quay building in Leith. Today, the new signage will be erected prior to the official re-branding.
Salmond's move comes seven years after the then Labour-led Scottish Executive first aired the possibility of changing the name, after complaints that the old title was meaningless to most
people. It triggered a backlash from Labour MPs, who argued that the move represented "the break-up of the United Kingdom".
Last night, UK ministers launched a fresh attack, claiming the move was a "waste of money". Salmond will spend