Friday 22 June 2012

Scottish Independence Explained

I am co-authoring a second edition of 'Scottish Politics' with Neil McGarvey. It will appear in 2013, with a new chapter explaining Scottish Independence. The first draft of the new chapter can be found here - https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-vqUYxLrgufYVotTmZFX2haaE0/edit - or here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ebTJQzPraoCAhfqcxYADo_7ln_lRLM8EEIhuqG1G3m8/edit  . If, like me, you find Google Docs a bit slow and fiddly, you can just download the file from the site.


The independence debate can be controversial and I have tried (although it usually comes naturally) to make the chapter as dry and unexciting as possible so that no chunk of it can be used for positive or negative purposes (it will just lead to the line, ‘nutty academic says ...’). However, it is bound to be biased in ways that I know about, and ways which did not occur to me. Please feel free to point those biases out in a reasonable way. I have recently become addicted to twitter, which might be the best way to comment (@CairneyPaul).

Highlights:

What Does Independence Mean?

Can We Compare Independence with ‘Devo Max’?

What is Fiscal Autonomy?

The Modern History of the Constitutional Change Debate

The National Conversation

The Calman Commission

Summary of the Scotland Act 2012

National Identity and Support for Further Constitutional Change

Support for Constitutional Change: What Exactly is the Question?

Independence: Current Issues and Debates

No to Independence but yes to Devo max?

How Should a Multi-Option Referendum be Ordered?

What Happens Next? The Timing of the Referendum

What are the Big Questions?

Constitutional Change and the European Union

Arguments For and Against Independence

Independence and the Media



1 comment:

  1. Why cant anybody just point out other countries and say that is an independent country that is what it looks like!
    The so called Unionists are desperate to hold on to Scotland for greed and power nothing more nor less.
    Is the truth so hard for all of the politicians to say?
    For me independence is the way of normality to live subjugated,is wrong no matter how its dressed up.

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