A New Scotland: Building an Equal, Fair and Sustainable Society

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Webster, Laura (14 July 2022). "Nicola Sturgeon to publish next paper in Scottish independence prospectus today". The National. We then asked the question – with all our resources and with all of our talents as a nation, then why not Scotland? An independent Scotland would have full autonomy over decisions on tax, spending and borrowing. Scotland would be able to issue sovereign debt and set fiscal limits. [154] According to the Scottish Government, it is clear that Scotland currently pays its way within the UK. [116] The Scottish Government has proposed setting up a 'New Scotland Fund' to provide capital investment and boost growth. According to the charity Institute for Fiscal Studies, this fund would likely need to be funded by additional borrowing. [155]

build on the success of devolved decision-making by making the most of other key Scottish economic strengths This would help ensure that our businesses can access the skills and people they need. It would also meet the needs of those parts of Scotland most at risk of depopulation. There are strong historical and contemporary ties between Scotland and the rest of the UK from the Reformation and Union of Crowns, to Scottish involvement in the growth and development of the British Empire and contribution of the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. Contemporary popular culture is also shared, primarily through the prevalence of the English language. Almost half of the Scottish population have relatives in England. [181] At the time of the 2011 census, approximately 700,000 adults who were born in Scotland lived in the rest of the UK, while about 470,000 adults who were born elsewhere in the UK had moved to live in Scotland. [182] There are also significant economic links with the Scottish military-industrial complex [183] as well as close links within the financial sector. [184] In the years of the Conservative government after 1979, the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly was established, eventually publishing the Claim of Right 1989. This then led to the Scottish Constitutional Convention. The convention promoted consensus on devolution on a cross-party basis, though the Conservative Party refused to co-operate and the Scottish National Party withdrew from the discussions when it became clear that the convention was unwilling to discuss Scottish independence as a constitutional option. [22] Arguments against devolution and the Scottish Parliament, levelled mainly by the Conservative Party, were that the Parliament would create a "slippery slope" to Scottish independence and provide the pro-independence Scottish National Party with a route to government. [31] Prime Minister John Major campaigned during the 1997 general election on the slogan "72 hours to save the union". His party ultimately suffered the worst electoral defeat in 91 years. [32] For the White Paper published by the Scottish Government in 2014, see Scotland's Future. For the proposed 2023 independence referendum, see Proposed second Scottish independence referendum.

In 2014, the Scottish Government wrote that "[Scotland's] approach [to culture] has been, and will continue to be, distinct from that of Westminster". The Scottish Government position was that Scottish independence would give the Scottish Government more powers to encourage culture and creative sectors. In the event of independence, the Scottish Government planned to increase domestic creative production opportunities, such as by setting up a new national broadcaster, while maintaining access to current TV channels and with no additional cost to viewers and listeners. [116] Democracy [ edit ]

The issue of the Scottish Government's power to hold and the Scottish Parliament's competence to legislate for an independence referendum is a subject of intense debate both inside and outside Scotland. In November 2022 the UK Supreme Court gave a judgment that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate for an independence referendum. [92] The Scotland Act 1998 reserved powers over "the Union of the Kingdoms of Scotland and England" to the UK Parliament. Any provision is outwith the competence of the Scottish Parliament if "it relates to reserved matters" under Section 29(2) of the Act. This formed the basis of the UK Supreme Court's judgment on the Scottish Parliament's competence to legislate on the matter. [92] Building a New Scotland is a series of papers published by the Scottish Government that seeks to lay out a prospectus for Scottish independence. [1] The Scottish Government has proposed holding an independence referendum on 19 October 2023. [2] History [ edit ] The Building a New Scotland series will cover a wide range of topics and forms the prospectus for an independent Scotland. Introduction

In protest, the SNP withdrew their support from the government. A motion of no confidence was then tabled by the Conservatives and supported by the SNP, the Liberals and Ulster Unionists. It passed by one vote on 28 March 1979, forcing the May 1979 general election, which was won by the Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher. Prime Minister Callaghan described the decision of the SNP to bring down the Labour government as " turkeys voting for Christmas". [28] [29] The SNP group was reduced from 11 MPs to 2 at the 1979 general election, while devolution was opposed by the Conservative governments led by Margaret Thatcher and John Major. contribute to, and benefit from, the higher productivity, higher investment economy achieved by comparable independent countries