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| Scotland Unveils ‘Landmark Document’ on Independence from Britain | Scotland Unveils ‘Landmark Document’ on Independence from Britain |
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| LONDON — Behind in the opinion polls, Scottish Nationalists who are seeking independence from Britain in a referendum next year set out their wish list for a new nation on Tuesday, but made several assertions about their future relations with Britain and international partners that are sharply disputed. | LONDON — Behind in the opinion polls, Scottish Nationalists who are seeking independence from Britain in a referendum next year set out their wish list for a new nation on Tuesday, but made several assertions about their future relations with Britain and international partners that are sharply disputed. |
| A newly independent Scotland would issue passports, create its own defense force and expel British nuclear submarines from their Scottish bases, according to the 670-page document published by the Scottish government, which is led by the Scottish National Party of Alex Salmond. But the country would stay in NATO and transition smoothly to its own membership in the European Union, the document asserts. And while Scots would claim 90 percent of the revenue from North Sea oil and gas and adopt a written Constitution, they would keep Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and retain the pound sterling as their currency, the document adds. | A newly independent Scotland would issue passports, create its own defense force and expel British nuclear submarines from their Scottish bases, according to the 670-page document published by the Scottish government, which is led by the Scottish National Party of Alex Salmond. But the country would stay in NATO and transition smoothly to its own membership in the European Union, the document asserts. And while Scots would claim 90 percent of the revenue from North Sea oil and gas and adopt a written Constitution, they would keep Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and retain the pound sterling as their currency, the document adds. |
| Some of these assumptions, including an independent Scotland’s right to use the pound, are disputed by the government in London. But the publication of the document, meant as a blueprint for independence, is a milestone on the road to the referendum, scheduled for Sept. 18, 2014, the year of the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, in which Scottish forces routed the English. | |
| “If we vote no, Scotland stands still,” the document said. “A once-in-a-generation opportunity to follow a different path, and choose a new and better direction for our nation, is lost. Decisions about Scotland would remain in the hands of others.” | “If we vote no, Scotland stands still,” the document said. “A once-in-a-generation opportunity to follow a different path, and choose a new and better direction for our nation, is lost. Decisions about Scotland would remain in the hands of others.” |
| Alistair Darling, a Scot who served as chancellor of the Exchequer for the Labor Party in the last British government and now leads the campaign against independence, described the paper as a “work of fiction, full of meaningless assertions.” | Alistair Darling, a Scot who served as chancellor of the Exchequer for the Labor Party in the last British government and now leads the campaign against independence, described the paper as a “work of fiction, full of meaningless assertions.” |
| Scotland, which has been united with England since 1707, already has a large degree of autonomy, with power over matters like health, education, local government and the legal system, and there is considerable nationalist sentiment. But the outcome of the vote is likely to hinge most on whether Scots feel they would be better off economically going it alone. | Scotland, which has been united with England since 1707, already has a large degree of autonomy, with power over matters like health, education, local government and the legal system, and there is considerable nationalist sentiment. But the outcome of the vote is likely to hinge most on whether Scots feel they would be better off economically going it alone. |
| Recent opinion surveys indicate that many are skeptical. The latest Sunday Times of London poll found that 47 percent of Scottish voters were against leaving the United Kingdom, with only 38 percent in favor and 15 percent undecided. | Recent opinion surveys indicate that many are skeptical. The latest Sunday Times of London poll found that 47 percent of Scottish voters were against leaving the United Kingdom, with only 38 percent in favor and 15 percent undecided. |
| So while the blueprint released on Tuesday promises better child care, a fairer tax system and a welfare overhaul, its central message was one of reassurance about what would not change — even down to television shows. Though a new Scottish Broadcasting Service would be created to replace the BBC in Scotland, the blueprint promises that Scottish viewers would not be deprived of the popular “EastEnders” soap opera or the “Strictly Come Dancing” contest show. | So while the blueprint released on Tuesday promises better child care, a fairer tax system and a welfare overhaul, its central message was one of reassurance about what would not change — even down to television shows. Though a new Scottish Broadcasting Service would be created to replace the BBC in Scotland, the blueprint promises that Scottish viewers would not be deprived of the popular “EastEnders” soap opera or the “Strictly Come Dancing” contest show. |
| The currency issue is a crucial one. “The pound is Scotland’s currency, just as much as it is the rest of the U.K.’s,” the blueprint asserts. But the British government in London says it is unlikely to agree to share the pound with a newly independent Scotland, citing the problems experienced by the 17-nation euro zone to illustrate the dangers of a common currency without political union. London says it would be difficult to have the Bank of England act as the guarantor of the pound if Scotland had a different fiscal policy from Britain, for example. Nationalists hint that if Scotland cannot keep the pound, it will not accept its share of Britain’s national debt. | |
| British and European officials dispute nationalist claims that Scotland would retain automatic membership of the European Union, or that, if it negotiated membership, it will be allowed to remain outside the euro zone indefinitely, as Britain has the right to. | |
| Campaigners for a “yes” vote in the referendum say that the biggest threat to Scottish membership in the European Union would not be independence, but the policies of the British prime minister, David Cameron. He has promised, if re-elected in 2015, to renegotiate the terms of British membership in the union and then hold a referendum on whether to stay in the bloc. | Campaigners for a “yes” vote in the referendum say that the biggest threat to Scottish membership in the European Union would not be independence, but the policies of the British prime minister, David Cameron. He has promised, if re-elected in 2015, to renegotiate the terms of British membership in the union and then hold a referendum on whether to stay in the bloc. |