Independence nothing less.
Thus bold, independent, unconquer'd,
and free,
Her bright course of glory for ever shall run
For brave Caledonia immortal must be
Well it’s started the journey to take
Scotland, our land to Independence. In his usual
self-assured and passionate fashion Scotland’s First
Minister came to the Scots Parliament chamber and
delivered his consultation on the referendum. Here is a
little summary of the document laid before Parliament
yesterday;
Your Scotland, Your Referendum
The people who live in Scotland are
best placed to make decisions about Scotland’s future.
Under independence, Scotland would
have the rights and responsibilities of a normal,
sovereign state. It would continue in membership of the
European Union. It would forge a new partnership with
the rest of the former United Kingdom where the nations
co-operate on shared interests. Her Majesty the Queen
would remain as Head of State. The Scottish Parliament
would gain full responsibility for governing Scotland.
The ability to make choices about how the country is
governed would lie with those who care most about
Scotland.
The referendum will be held in autumn
2014. This timetable allows for proper public and
parliamentary consideration of the proposals for the
referendum and independence so that the people of
Scotland can make a fully informed choice about the
future of the country. A Referendum Bill will be debated
by the Scottish Parliament in 2013. A white paper
drawing together the Scottish Government’s proposals for
independence will be published in November 2013. The
timetable will avoid clashes with major international
sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games and
complies with the recommendation of the Gould report
into the 2007 Scottish elections that the regulations
for a poll should be in place at least six months before
polling day.
Your Scotland, Your Referendum is an
important first step in the process which will lead to
the referendum. It sets out proposals for the question
to be asked and the rules governing the campaign and the
vote. The referendum will meet the highest standards of
fairness, transparency and propriety. The consultation
paper:
• Sets out a proposed ballot paper
with the question:
Do you agree that Scotland should be
an independent country?
• seeks views on the inclusion of a
second question. The Scottish Government is willing to
include a question about further, substantial devolution
on the lines of “devolution max” if there is sufficient
support for such a move.
• proposes that the referendum should
be run in exactly the same way as an election. Local
returning officers will have operational responsibility
for the poll and the count, under the direction of a
Chief Counting Officer. The Electoral Commission will be
responsible for regulation of the campaign and for
oversight and reporting the referendum process and in
this role will be accountable to the Scottish
Parliament. Restrictions on Government publicity will
apply in the run-up to polling day as they would for
elections.
• Sets out who will be able to vote.
Eligibility will be the same as for Scottish Parliament
and local government elections and for the 1997
referendum on devolution, with the exception that the
vote will be extended to 16 and 17 year-olds who are on
the electoral register. The choice of the Scottish
Parliament franchise reflects the internationally
accepted principle that the franchise for constitutional
referendums should be determined by residency and the
Scottish Government’s view that sovereignty lies with
the people of Scotland.
• seeks views on proposed spending
limits of £750,000 for the lead campaign organisations
designated by the Electoral Commission, £250,000 for
each political party represented in the Scottish
Parliament and £50,000 for others who want to spend more
than £5,000 on campaigning. This approach is based on
the legislation which applies to UK-wide referendums
with the limits tailored to reflect that the referendum
will be held in Scotland only.
The total cost of the referendum is
likely to be around £10 million, the bulk of which will
be spent on running the poll and the count. This cost is
broadly in line with the cost (per voter) of the Welsh
Assembly and AV Referendums in 2011. There will be no
public funding for campaign organisations
The Scottish Government is ready to
work with the UK Government to agree a clarification of
the Scotland Act 1998 that would put the referendum
effectively beyond legal challenge. This would be
achieved through an order under section 30 of the 1998
Act and subject to the agreement of both parliaments.
The Scottish Government does not accept that conditions
should be placed upon the order. The Scottish
Government’s mandate to hold a referendum is clear. As a
matter of democratic principle it is for the Scottish
Parliament to decide on the timing and terms of the
referendum and the rules under which it is to be
conducted
The consultation closes on 11 May
2012. Responses can be submitted on-line, by e-mail or
by post.
Get your points into the
consultation, this is the most important decision in the
life of our nation and it is imperative that you, as the
Scots Granny says ‘get yer tuppence worth in’
