Debate blog:

Scotland should be independent!

Campaigning for Scottish independence actually began shortly after the unification with England took place in 1707.  At that time it was believed that the Scots were almost bankrupt and in need of urgent cash. Others claimed that the Scots who signed the unification treaty were bribed.

An important date for Scotland was the year 1934, when the Scottish National Party was founded as a “merger” between the Scottish Party and the National Party of Scotland.

The Scottish devolution in 1999 gave the SNP the opportunity to fight for independence at Westminster. Tony Blair, who was prime minister at that time, saw opportunities for a Scottish parliament and its importance for the SNP but he wanted to prevent the SNP to gain sole power in Scotland.  Voting was done by part first past the post, part PR system.

Upto 2011 the country was governed by the Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition for two terms and one term by an SNP minority.

It is very difficult to say whether most of the Scots are in favour of independence; one thing is certain, a vote for the SNP does not automatically mean a vote for independence. According to recent polls, support for independence is somewhere between 32% and 38% which is less than the votes the SNP got when it was in office as a minority government. Another poll (YouGoy, April 2011) showed support for independence was 28%  and 57% opposed.

Political support for independence comes from the SNP, the Greens and independent MSP Margo Macdonald. Liberal Democrats, Labour and Tories are opposed.

The referendum will most probably be held in the autumn of 2014. The referendum needs backing of the central government at Westminster otherwise it would not be legally binding.

If all proceeds as expected, the Scottish voters will vote for a yes or no to the independence referendum but this doesn’t mean independence is a fact.  When the general vote is a “yes”, talks will start with Westminster.

Apart from a full independence, voters could also vote for a so called “devolution max”. This means that Scotland would be independent in most but not all aspects. For example, it could meant that Westminster still has fiscal control over Scotland.

If voters vote “yes”, Scotland could be independent by 2016. However, a “no” vote would most probably mean the end of the SNP.

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I am not giving you my reasons why I am in favour of an independent Scotland because you will hear them coming Thursday, when I am going to do the debate on this subject. Just read my blog if you’re interested and try to form your own opinion on what would be the best thing for Scotland. There are loads of articles on this subject on the internet and BBC news also has interesting interviews to be watched. See you on Thursday!