A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, September 18, 2014. The question of the referendum, which the electorate answered with "Yes" or "No", is "Should Scotland become an independent state?" The "No" side wins, with 2,001,026 (55.3%) votes against independence and 1,617,989 (44.7%) votes in favor. 84.6% of voters were the highest recorded for elections or referendums in the UK since the introduction of universal suffrage.
The Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013, sets the setting for a referendum, endorsed by the Scottish Parliament in November 2013, following an agreement between the Scottish government's devolution and the Government of the United Kingdom. To graduate, independence proposals require a simple majority. With a few exceptions, a European Union (EU) or a Commonwealth citizen who lives in Scotland who is sixteen years of age or over can vote for a total of nearly 4,300,000 people. This is the first time an elektoral franchise has been extended to include children aged sixteen and seventeen in Scotland.
Yes, Scotland is the main campaign group for independence, while Better Together is the main campaign group that supports maintaining unions. Many other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, newspapers, and prominent figures were also involved. Prominent issues raised during the referendum include which currencies are used by independent Scotland, public spending, EU membership, and North Sea oil. A poll of voters revealed that for "No" -owners, the retention of pound sterling was the deciding factor, while for "yes" -the owner, the single greatest motivation was "dissatisfaction with Westminster politics".
Video Scottish independence referendum, 2014
History
Establishment of the United Kingdom
The Kingdom of Scotland and the British Empire established as an independent state during the Middle Ages. After fighting a series of wars during the 14th century, two monarchs entered personal unity in 1603 (Union of Crowns) when James VI of Scotland also became James I of England. The two countries were temporarily united under one government when Oliver Cromwell was declared the Commonwealth Protector God in 1653, but this was dissolved when the monarchy was restored in 1660. Scotland and England united to form the United Kingdom in 1707, factors in favor of unions, on the Scottish side, the economic problems caused by Darien's scheme failure and, in English, secured the Hanoverian succession line. The United Kingdom in turn united with the Kingdom of Ireland in 1801, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Most of the Irish left Union in 1922 to form the Irish Free State; Consequently, the full name of the British Empire since 1927 is Great Britain of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .
Devolution
The Labor Party was committed to ruling home to Scotland in the 1920s, but it undermined its agenda in subsequent years. The Scottish National Party (SNP) was founded in 1934, but did not achieve a significant election success until the 1960s. A document calling for house rules, the Scottish Covenant, was signed by 2,000,000 people (of the 5,000,000 population) in the late 1940s. The home government, now known as the Scottish devolution, did not become a serious proposal until the late 1970s when the James Callaghan Labor Government was under the electoral pressure of the SNP.
The proposal for a devolved Scottish Assembly was incorporated into a referendum in 1979. A small vote was given for the change, but this did not matter because of the requirement that the 'Yes' vote should exceed 40% of the total voters.
No further constitutional reform was proposed until Labor came back to power in an electoral victory in 1997, when a second Scottish devolutionary referendum was held; as the 1997 Manpesto Labor has promised to do so. The vast majority clearly expressed support for the devolved Scottish Parliament and the Parliament which has the power to change the basic income tax rate. The Scottish Act of 1998 establishes a new Scottish Parliament, first elected on Thursday, May 6, 1999, with the power to enact a law on unprotected matters in Scotland.
SNP 2007 Administration
The commitment to hold a referendum in 2010 was part of the SNP's election manifesto when it was contested for Scottish Parliamentary elections in 2007. The press was largely hostile to the SNP, titled for The Scottish Sun in May 2007 stating - along with a drawing of a string rope - "SNP Vote today and you put the Scottish head in the snare". As a result of the election, the SNP became the largest party in the Scottish Parliament and formed a minority government led by First Minister Alex Salmond.
The SNP Administration launched the 'National Conversation' as a consultation exercise in August 2007, partly including the draft referendum draft, the Bill of Referendum (Scotland) . After this, a white paper for the proposed Referendum Bill was published, on 30 November 2009. It details four possible scenarios, with the text of the Bill and the Referendum to be disclosed later. The scenario: no change; devolution per Calman Review; further devolution; and full independence. The Scottish Government publishes a draft version of law on 25 February 2010 for public consultation; The Scottish Future: Draft Referendum (Scotland) Bill Consultation Paper contains consultation documents and draft versions of the Bill. The consultation paper establishes the proposed ballot paper, the proposed referendum mechanism, and how the proposed referendum will be organized. Public response invited.
The bill outlines three proposals: the first is full devolution or 'devolution max', indicating that the Scottish Parliament should be responsible for "all laws, taxes and duties in Scotland", with the exception of "defense and foreign affairs, financial regulations, monetary and currency policies ", which will be maintained by the British government. The second proposal outlines the Calman-type fiscal reform, gaining additional strength and responsibility to set Scottish income tax rates that can vary up to 10p in pounds compared to other parts of the UK, setting a tariff tax rate. and "other small taxes", and introduced new taxes in Scotland with the approval of the British Parliament, and finally, "limited powers to borrow money". The third proposal is for full independence.
In the 3rd Scottish Parliament only 50 of 129 MSP (47 SNP, 2 Green, and Margo MacDonald) support the referendum. The Scottish government withdrew the bill after failing to gain opposition support.
Administration of SNP 2011
The SNP reiterated its commitment to holding a referendum when it published a manifesto of Scotland's parliamentary elections in 2011. A few days before the election, Salmond declared that the law for a referendum would be proposed in the "second half of parliament", as he wanted to secure more power for the Scottish Parliament through The first Scottish Bill. In the election, the SNP won 69 out of 129 seats, a majority of four. With an overall majority, Salmond and SNP now have a mandate to call for a referendum on independence.
In January 2012, the British government offered a law to grant the Scottish Parliament the authority to hold a referendum, provided "fair, legitimate and resolute". It will establish a "terms of reference for the referendum", such as the question (s), the eligibility of the electorate and which body will govern the vote. When the British government worked on the details of the law, including the timing of the vote, Salmond announced his intention to hold a referendum in the fall of 2014. Negotiations continued between the two governments through October 2012, when the Edinburgh Agreement was reached.
The Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Act 2013 is ratified by the Scottish Parliament on 27 June 2013 and receives the Royal Assent on 7 August 2013. On 15 November 2013, the Scottish government publishes Scotland's Future , a 670-page white paper putting the case for independence and the ways in which Scotland might become an independent country.
Maps Scottish independence referendum, 2014
Administration
Date
The Scottish Government announced on 21 March 2013 that a referendum will be held on Thursday 18 September 2014. Some media reports mention that 2014 will be a 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn and that Scotland will also host the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Ryder 2014 Cups. Salmond agrees that the presence of these events makes 2014 a "good year to hold a referendum".
Feasibility to choose
Under the terms of the 2010 Draft Law, the following persons are eligible to vote in a referendum:
- English citizens living in Scotland;
- other Commonwealth citizens residing in Scotland;
- Other EU citizens residing in Scotland;
- House of Lords members living in Scotland;
- Service/Crown staff serving in the UK or abroad in the British Armed Forces or with the Royal Government are registered to vote in Scotland.
Convicted prisoners can not vote in a referendum. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) previously ruled that this restriction was against the law, but Scottish judge Lord Glennie said he believed the ECHR assessment would only apply to parliamentary elections. The appeal against his verdict was rejected by the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh and the Supreme Court of England.
The normal voting age was reduced from 18 to 16 for the referendum, as it was the Scottish National Party's policy to reduce voting age for all elections in Scotland. The move is supported by the Labor Party, Liberal Democrats and Scottish Green Party.
In January 2012, Elaine Murray of MSP of Labor led a debate stating that the franchise should be extended to Scotland living outside Scotland, including about 800,000 living in other parts of the UK. This was opposed by the Scottish Government, which argued that it would greatly increase the complexity of the referendum and stated that there was evidence from the United Nations Human Rights Committee that other countries "may question the legitimacy of the referendum if the franchise is not territorial."
In the House of Lords, Baroness Symons argues that the rest of Britain should be allowed to vote for Scottish independence, arguing that it would affect the whole country. This argument was rejected by the British Government, as Advocate General for Scotland Lord Wallace said that "whether Scotland should leave England is a problem for Scotland". Wallace also pointed to the fact that only two of the 11 referendums since 1973 across Britain. Professor John Curtice also argues that the Northern Ireland sovereign referendum of 1973 ("border polls") created a precedent for allowing only one part of Britain to vote for its sovereignty.
Legality of referendum
There is debate as to whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate for a referendum relating to the Scottish independence issue, since the constitution is a matter reserved for the British Parliament. The Scottish government insisted in 2010 that they could legislate for a referendum, as it would be a "referendum advisory to expand the power of the Scottish Parliament", whose results would "have no legal effect on the Union". Lord Wallace, Advocate General for Scotland, said in January 2012 that holding a referendum on the constitution would be outside the Scottish Parliament's legislative power and that private individuals could challenge the Scottish Parliament's referendum bill.
The two governments signed the Edinburgh Accord, which allows for temporary transfer of legal authority. In accordance with the Edinburgh Treaty, the British government drawing up an Order in the Council gives the Scottish Parliament the necessary powers to hold, on or before 31 December 2014, a referendum of independence. The Order's draft was approved by a resolution of both the Houses of Parliament, and of the Order, entitled The Scotland Act 1998 (Modified Schedule 5) of the Order of 2013, approved by Queen Elizabeth II, following the advice of his Minister, at a Privy Council meeting on February 12, 2013. under temporary power transferred from Westminster under section 30 of the Order, the Scottish Parliament adopted the Scottish Referendum Act of 2013, summoned the referendum, defined the question to be asked, gave the date on which the referendum would be held, and established the rules governing the holding of the referendum. The bill for the Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 14 November 2013 and received the Royal Assent on December 17, 2013. Under section 36 of the Act, it came into force the day after the Royal Assent.
Supervision of elections
The Election Commission is responsible for overseeing the referendum, "with the exception of polling and announcement of results, and grants.In its role organizing campaigns and campaign spending, the Election Commission will report to the Scottish Parliament (...) The polls and counts will be managed with the same way as [local] election, by the local return officer (...) and directed by Chief Counting Officer ".
Referendum words
The Edinburgh Covenant states that the words of the question will be decided by the Scottish Parliament and reviewed to be understood by the Electoral Commission. The Scottish government states that the preferred question is "Do you agree that Scotland should become an independent state?" The Electoral Commission examines the questions posed together with three other possible versions. Their research found that the "Do you agree" initiative makes it a key question, which will be more likely to get a positive response. The question was changed to "Should Scotland become an independent state?", Which the Electoral Commission found the most neutral and concise of the versions tested.
Campaign structure
Cost and funding
In the Draft Bill of 2010, the Scottish Government proposes that there will be designated organizations campaigning for 'Yes' and designated organizations campaigning for 'No' voting, both of which will be allowed to spend up to Ã, Â £ 750,000 on their campaign and to send one free letter to every household or voter in the referendum franchise. There are no public funds for the campaign. Each political party is allowed to spend $ 100,000. The proposed limit on party expenditure was revised to Ã, Â £ 250,000 in 2012.
In 2013, a new proposal by the Electoral Commission for the 16-week period set before the election is accepted. They allow two designated campaign organizations to spend up to Ã, Â £ 1.5 million each and for parties in Scotland to spend the following amount: Ã, Â £ 1,344,000 (SNP); Ã, Â £ 834,000 (Labor); Ã, £ 396,000 (Conservative); Ã, Â £ 201,000 (Liberal Democrats); Ã, Â £ 150,000 (Green). A number of other unlimited organizations can apply to the Electoral Commission, but their expenses are limited to £ 150,000. Groups that spend more than Ã, Â £ 250,000 are required to submit refunds audited to the Commission on March 18, 2015.
According to a Scottish government consultation paper published on February 25, 2010, the referendum fee "may be around Ã, Â £ 9.5 million", largely spent on voting and counting. The fee will also include posts from a neutral information leaflet about a referendum for every Scottish household, and one free letter to every household or voter in the poll for the designated campaign organization. In April 2013, the projected cost of the referendum was Ã, Â £ 13.3 million; the final administrative cost is Ã, Â £ 15.85 million.
Campaign organization
The Scottish Scottish independence campaign was launched on May 25, 2012. Its chief executive is Blair Jenkins, formerly Director of Broadcasting at STV and Head of News and Current Affairs at STV and BBC Scotland. The campaign was supported by SNP, Scottish Green Party (which also created its own "pro-independence campaign to run with Yes Scotland") and the Scottish Socialist Party. At its launch, Salmond stated that he hopes a million people in Scotland will sign a declaration of support for independence. On August 22, 2014, Yes, Scotland announced that one million targets had been exceeded.
Britain's remaining Premier League campaign, Better Together, was launched on June 25, 2012. It is headed by Alistair Darling, a former Chancellor of the Minister of Finance, and has the support of the Conservative Party, the Labor Party and the Liberal Democrats.
Ads
Political ads on television and radio in the UK are prohibited by the Communications Act 2003, with the exception of permitted party political broadcasts. Three major movie theaters stopped showing ads by referendum campaign groups after receiving negative feedback from their customers.
Donations
In December 2013, Better Together's campaign stated that they had received a donation of £ 2,800,000. The six-figure contribution was made by businessmen Ian Taylor and Donald Houston, and by author C. J. Sansom; nearly 27,000 donations under Ã, Â £ 7,500 were received on the same date. Subsequent contributions came from author J. K Rowling, who announced in June 2014 that he has provided Ã, Â £ 1,000,000 for the Better Together campaign. The following month, William Grant & amp; The children announced a donation of about Ã, Â £ 100,000. On August 12, 2014, Better Together announced that it had raised enough money to cover the maximum allowable expenses and no longer receive donations. This is due in large part to the small contribution received after the first television debate between First Minister Alex Salmond and MP Laborer Alistair Darling.
In May 2014, the Yes Scotland campaign has announced Ã, Â £ 4.5 million cash donations. EuroMillions winning lottery Chris and Colin Weir provide Ã, Â £ 3,500,000. A six-figure donation is provided by fund investment manager Angus Tulloch; about 18,000 donations less than Ã, £ 7,500 have been made on the same date.
Voting Process
The voting for the referendum begins on August 27, 2014, with the receipt of the ballots by postal voters. On August 15, 680,235 eligible voters have been registered for postal voting, a 20% increase compared to March 2014. During the voting phase, Scottish police arrested a man from Glasgow on suspicion of selling his voice on eBay.
The registration deadline for referendum voters is September 2, 2014. Several councils reported the processing of an unprecedented number of new registrations, while others received "tens of thousands" of applications in the last week.
Sound results
The British government declared that, if a modest majority of the votes cast in favor of independence, then "Scotland would become an independent state after the negotiation process". If the majority opposes independence, Scotland will continue to be part of the British Empire. Further strength will be transferred to the Scottish Parliament as a result of the Scottish Law of 2012. The Electoral Commission prepares an information leaflet stating that the British and Scottish governments have reached agreement on these matters. David Cameron said in May 2014 that he believed that the referendum would be '' irreversible and binding. '' In the case of a majority for Yes, the Scottish Government has proposed a date of independence March 24, 2016. It is suggested that, following the conclusion of the negotiations, the British Parliament will invite -a invite to Scottish independence took place on a negotiated date A report by the House of Lord UK committee, published in May 2014, said that Britain could vote to postpone the date of independence.
Problem
Agriculture
In 2013, as part of EU member states (EU), Scottish farmers received Ã, Â £ 583 million in subsidy payments from the European Union under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Annual CAP payments are made to the UK, which then determines how much to allocate to each devolved administration, including Scotland. In the last CAP agreement, farmers in the UK are eligible for additional convergence payments because Scottish farmers receive lower average agricultural payments per hectare, primarily due to mountainous terrain in Scotland. Proponents of independence therefore believe that an independent Scotland would receive a larger agricultural subsidy than when part of Britain. Opponents of independence believe that Scottish farmers benefit because Britain is one of the larger EU member states and therefore has a greater voice in CAP negotiations. They also question whether an independent Scotland will soon receive full subsidy payments from the EU, as new member states have recently gradually subsidized them.
Border control and immigration
Britain has several options from EU policy. One is to opt out of the Schengen Area, which means there is a full passport check for travelers from other EU countries except the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) with the UK. The Scottish Government proposes that an independent Scotland should remain outside the Schengen Territory and remain within the CTA, ensuring that no passport control is required on the Anglo-Scottish border. Nicola Sturgeon commented that an independent Scotland would negotiate with the EU to have the same visa arrangements as those of England.
Alistair Carmichael, Secretary of State for Scotland, said in January 2014 that it made sense for Scotland to be at the CTA, but had to enforce similar immigration policies throughout the UK. This position is supported by Home Affairs Minister Theresa May, who said in March 2014 that passport control should be introduced if Scotland adopted a more loose immigration policy. Conservative lawmaker Richard Bacon said there would be "no reason" for border control to be implemented.
Childcare
In Scotland's Scottish White paper , the Scottish government pledged to expand the provision of independent childcare in Scotland. The paper states that this policy will cost 700 million pounds, but this will be financed by an increase in tax revenues from an additional 100,000 women who return to work.
Scottish Labor Party leader Johann Lamont said that the policy should be implemented immediately if the Scottish government believes it will have a beneficial effect, but Salmond replies that under the devolution of policy costs will have to be financed by cuts elsewhere in public spending. In March 2014, the National Day Nurseries Association said that the plan could not be implemented unless more funds were granted by local authorities for private breeding. A report by the Scottish Parliament Information Center questioned the economic benefits of the policy, suggesting that there are only 64,000 mothers of aged 1 and 5 children who are not economically active. A spokeswoman for Salmond said that an estimated 104,000 women will enter the workforce in the longer term, as future generations of mothers can also work, stating: "The main point about policy is that it does not happen on a single day or one year and then stop. "
Citizenship
The Scottish government proposes that all British citizens born in Scotland will automatically become Scottish citizens on independence date, regardless of whether they live in Scotland or not. English "residents" in Scotland will also be considered Scottish citizens, even if they already have citizenship from another country. Any person who is automatically considered a Scottish citizen will be able to opt out of Scottish citizenship provided they already have citizenship from another country. The Scottish Government also proposes that anyone who has a Scottish parents or grandparents will be able to apply for registration as a Scottish citizen, and any foreign citizen living in Scotland legally, or who have been living in Scotland for at least 10 years at any time and has an ongoing connection to Scotland, must be able to apply for naturalization as a Scottish citizen. UK Home Secretary Theresa May said the future policy of an independent Scottish government would affect whether the citizens of Scotland would be allowed to retain British citizenship. An analysis paper published by the British government in January 2014 states that it is possible that Scotland will be able to have dual citizenship; however, duality is considered in relation to all other countries, not specifically to other parts of the UK. The possibility of holding two British-Scottish citizenship may be subject to "affinity proof".
Defense
Budget
The SNP says that there is a defense that is less than "at least Ã, Â £ 7.4 billion" between 2002 and 2012 in Scotland and that independence would allow the Scottish government to correct this imbalance. In its white paper, the Scottish government plans that an independent Scotland would have a total of 15,000 regular personnel and 5,000 reserves across land, air and maritime forces by 2026. In July 2013, the SNP proposed that there would be 2.5 billion pounds. independent annual military budget in Scotland. The House of Commons Defense Select Committee says that the £ 2.5bn budget is too low. Andrew Murrison, UK's Minister of International Security Strategy agreed and said it was "imaginable" for the SNP to suggest it could create an independent force with "sliced-up" from the current British armed forces unit.
The House of Commons defense committee also stated that Scottish independence would have a negative effect on its industry, while the British government said it would not be willing to build a warship in a foreign country. Geoff Searle, director of BAE Systems' Type 26 Global Combat Ship program, said in June 2014 that the company did not have an alternative plan for shipbuilding, but this position was later revised by BAE Chairman, who stated that they could continue building a ship in the English city of Portsmouth if stand-alone Scotland was founded. Chief executive Thales, one of Britain's biggest defense suppliers, said that if Scotland were independent, this might raise questions about the company's continued investment.
The Royal United Services Institute said in 2012 that an independent Scotland could form a Scottish Defense Force, comparable in size and strength to people from other small European countries such as Denmark, Norway and Ireland, at an annual cost of Ã, Â £ 1 , 8 billion. The authors acknowledge that an independent Scotland would "need to come into some arrangement with the rest of England" on intelligence gathering, cyber warfare and cyber defense, that the cost of purchasing and maintaining troop equipment in the future may be higher. because of smaller orders, and that recruitment and training "may prove problematic" in the early years.
Dorcha Lee, a former colonel in the Irish Army, said that Scotland could avoid the formation of troops based on the resources inherited from the British Army and instead follow the Irish model of a limited self-defense force.
Nuclear weapons
The Trident nuclear missile system is based in the Coulport arms depot and Faslane naval base in the Firth of Clyde area. While the SNP objected to possessing nuclear weapons in the Scottish territories, British military leaders said there were no alternative sites for missiles; In April 2014, several British military leaders signed a letter stating that forcing Trident to leave Scottish waters would put Britain's nuclear deterrent in jeopardy. Nowhere to Go , a report by the Scottish CND, concludes that the Trident displacement from Scotland would force unilateral nuclear disarmament by the British Empire, as guns do not have a viable alternative base. A report by the Royal United Services Institute said that the Trident relocation would be "very difficult, but not impossible" and estimates that it will take about 10 years and create an additional cost of around Ã, Â £ 3 billion.
A seminar organized by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace states that the Royal Navy should consider alternatives, including disarmament. A report in 2013 from the Scottish Institute think tank suggested the future Scottish government could be persuaded to lease Faslane's nuclear base throughout Britain to maintain good diplomatic relations and speed up negotiations into NATO.
NATO membership
In 2012, the SNP dropped a prolonged opposition policy in principle for NATO membership. MSPs John Finnie and Jean Urquhart resigned from the SNP for policy changes. Scottish Green Party and Scottish Socialist Party remain opposed to NATO's continued membership.
The position of the SNP that Trident nuclear weapons should be removed from Scotland but must withhold NATO membership was criticized by Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democratic Party, and Patrick Harvie, co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party. Alex Salmond said it would be "very feasible" to join NATO while maintaining its anti-nuclear stance and that Scotland will pursue NATO membership only "is subject to an agreement that Scotland will not host nuclear weapons and NATO continues to respect the right of members to take part only in UN sanctions operation ". In 2013, Professor Malcolm Chalmers of the Royal United Services Institute stated that the "pragmatic" in the SNP accepted that NATO membership would likely involve a long-term base deal that would allow the UK to continue using Trident in Clyde.
Former Secretary-General of NATO and Scottish Labor colleague Lord Robertson said in 2013 that "both SNPs accept the nuclear role of the NATO center... or they reject the NATO's nuclear role and ensure that a separate Scottish state remains out of the world's most successful defense alliance." Richard Shirreff criticized the SNP proposal for defense and questioned whether other NATO members would accept an independent Scottish who rejects the principle of nuclear deterrence. This is disputed by Mariot Leslie, a former permanent British representative for NATO, who stated that NATO does not want to disrupt its arrangement by excluding Scotland.
Intelligence
A British government paper on security states that the Scottish Police will lose access to British intelligence apparatus, including MI5, SIS and GCHQ. The newspaper also said that an independent Scottish country would need to build its own security infrastructure. Theresa May commented that an independent Scotland would have access to fewer security capabilities, but would not always face a reduced threat. In 2013, Allan Burnett, former intelligence chief with Strathclyde Police and Scottish counter-terrorism coordinator until 2010, said that "an independent Scotland will face fewer threats, intelligence institutions will be ready, and allies will remain allies." Peter Jackson, professor of security at the University of Glasgow, agrees that the Special Branch can form a "suitable core" of the equivalent of the Scottish MI5, and that Scotland can leave creates the equivalent of MI6, rather than "relying on a mix of intelligence or open diplomatic sources" such as Canada or country - Nordic country. Baroness Ramsay, a co-worker and former case officer with MI6, said the Scottish government's view of intelligence is "very naive" and that "it will not be as simple as they think." Nicola Sturgeon stated that Scotland would create its own security services like MI5 to work with police and deal with terrorism, cyber attacks and seriously organized crime. He also stated that creating an external intelligence service would remain an option.
Democracy
The Scottish government and pro-independence activists say that democratic deficits exist in Scotland because Britain is a unitary state that does not have a codified constitution. The SNP also describes the House of Lords that was not chosen as "an insult to democracy". The label "democratic deficit" is sometimes used to refer to the period between the British elections of 1979 and 1997, in which the Labor Party held a majority of seats in Scotland but the Conservative Party controlled the whole of England. Alex Salmond said in September 2013 that such examples are a lack of democracy, and that "the people who live and work in Scotland are the ones who are most likely to make the right choice for Scotland". In January 2012, Patrick Harvie said: "The Greens have a more radical vision of democracy in Scotland, with much greater levels of discussion and decision-making at the community level." The Scottish Government intends that an independent Scottish must have a written constitution that "expresses our values, inculcates the rights of our citizens and establishes clearly how our state institutions interact with one another and serve the people".
Menzies Campbell wrote in April 2014 that any democratic deficit has been overcome by creating the Scottish Parliament of devolution, and that "Scotland and Scotland have enjoyed influence beyond a reasonable measure or expectation" within the British government and the wider political system. Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski said in 2009 that asymmetric devolution in place in Britain had created a democratic deficit for Britain. This is better known as the West Lothian question, which cites an anomaly in which UK lawmakers can not choose affairs submitted to Scotland, but Scottish MPs can vote on an equivalent subject in the UK. Kawczynski also pointed out that the average number of voters in the parliamentary constituency is greater in Britain than in Scotland.
During the campaign, each of the three main English parties undertook a British constitutional review, with each recommending that more power be submitted to the Scottish Parliament. On the morning before the television debate between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling, a joint statement was published by Better Together. Signed jointly by 3 key UK party leaders, expressed a commitment to grant Scotland an increase in power over domestic taxes and part of the social security system. Boris Johnson, London's Conservative Mayor, expressed his opposition to providing greater fiscal strength to the Scottish Parliament. During the second television debate, Salmond challenged Darling to determine which additional strengths might help create more jobs in Scotland would be given if there was a "no" vote. During a visit to Scotland that weekend, David Cameron promised more "soon" power.
On September 8, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown proposed a timetable for additional powers to be exercised if there was a "no" vote. He proposed that work on the new Scottish Law would begin shortly after the referendum, resulting in the publication of a white paper in late November 2014. Two days before the referendum, the three main leaders of the British party (Cameron, Miliband and Clegg) pledged openly to introduce " new broad "by the suggested schedule and that Barnett's public funding formula will continue.
Economy
The main problem in the referendum is the economy. UK Treasury issued a report on May 20, 2013 saying that the Scottish banking system would be too large to ensure compensation of depositors in case of bank failure. The report shows that Scottish banks will have assets worth 1.254% of GDP, which is more than Cyprus and Iceland before the recent global financial crisis. It suggests Scottish taxpayers will each have Ã, Â £ 65,000 of potential liability during a hypothetical bailout in Scotland, versus Ã, Â £ 30,000 as part of the UK. Economists including Andrew Hughes Hallett, Professor of Economics at St Andrews University, rejected the idea that Scotland should bear this obligation alone. He observed that banks operating in more than one country could be given a joint bailout by several governments. In this way, Fortis Bank and Dexia Bank were collectively rescued by France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Federal Reserve System lends more than $ 1 trillion to British banks, including $ 446 billion to Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), as they operate in the United States.
Robert Peston reported in March 2014 that RBS and Lloyds Banking Group may be forced to relocate their headquarters from Edinburgh to London in the case of Scottish independence, due to European legislation brought in after 1991 the collapse of the Credit and International Trade Bank. Financial groups The Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, Clydesdale Bank, TSB and Tesco Bank later announced that they were planning to move their registered headquarters from Scotland to England when Scotland voted for independence; most indicate that they have no immediate intention to transfer any work.
Weir Group, one of the largest private companies based in Scotland, commissioned a study by Oxford Economics into the potential economic effects of Scottish independence. It was found that Weir would pay more corporate taxes, despite the Scottish government's proposal to cut corporate tax rates, therefore no longer able to offset the Scottish losses against gains across Britain. He also stated that independence would result in additional costs and complexity in the operation of a business retirement scheme. The report found that 70% of all Scottish exports are sold throughout the UK, which it says will greatly affect the financial services sector. Standard Life, one of the largest businesses in the Scottish financial sector, said in February 2014 that it had begun registering companies in the UK in which it had to relocate some of its operations there.
In February 2014, the Financial Times notes that Scotland's GDP per capita is larger than France when its geographical share of oil and gas is taken into account, and is still larger than Italy when it is not. In April 2014, Scotland had the same unemployment rate as the UK average (6.6%) and the lower fiscal deficit (including the percentage of GDP) than the rest of the UK. Scotland performs better than the UK average in securing new Foreign Direct Investment in 2012-13 (measured by the number of projects), although neither Wales nor Northern Ireland. GDP growth during 2013 was lower in Scotland than across the UK, although this was partly due to industrial disputes at the Grangemouth Refinery.
Deutsche Bank issued a report within the week before the referendum and the media reported on Sept. 13 that David Folkerts-Landau, the bank's chief economist, had concluded: "While it sounds simple and no cost for a country to break out 300 years - old union, far from the truth ". Folkerts-Landau claims that the economic outlook after the "yes" vote is "incomprehensible," citing Winston Churchill's 1925 Gold Standard and the actions of the US Federal Reserve that sparked the Great Depression in the 1930s, due to other similarly significant errors. UBS Swiss financial services company supports Deutsche Bank position.
Proponents of independence say that Scotland does not meet its full economic potential because it is subject to the same economic policies as other parts of Britain. In 2013, the Jimmy Reid Foundation published a report stating that Britain's economic policy has been "very helpful to help London, which means Scotland and other UK regions suffer from being denied the specific, local policies they need." Then in January 2014, Colin Fox said that Scotland was "punished by an economic model that was leaning towards the Southeast of England". In November 2013, Chic Brodie said that Scotland was "deprived" of economic gains in the 1980s after the Defense Ministry blocked oil exploration outside of West Scotland, ostensibly to avoid interference with British nuclear weapons weapons.
Currency
Another major economic issue is the currency that will be used by an independent Scotland. The main choice is to form an independent Scottish currency, join the euro, or maintain pound sterling (a form of currency substitution).
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the SNP policy was that an independent Scottish had to adopt the euro, although this was left to a longer-term goal rather than a short-term goal by the party's 2009 conference. There is disagreement over whether Scotland will be asked to join the euro if it wants to become an EU member state in its own right. All new members must commit to join the single currency as a prerequisite for EU membership, but they must first become ERM II for two years, something that requires its own currency. The Scottish government argues that countries de facto opt out of the euro because they are not required to join ERM II. For example, Sweden has not adopted the euro. The Swedes refused to adopt the euro in a 2003 referendum and his government had not yet joined the refusal to enter ERM II.
The SNP supports the continued use of sterling in independent Scotland through the official currency union with the UK, with the Bank of England setting interest rates and monetary policy and acting as its central bank. The Scottish Future White Paper identifies five key reasons that the currency union "will be in Scotland and UK interests soon after independence": Scotland's main trading partner is Britain (2/3 exports in 2011); "companies operating in Scotland and the United Kingdom [... have] complex cross-border supply chains"; there is a high labor mobility; "on key measurements of the optimal currency area, the Scottish and British economies are getting good grades"; and short-term economic trends in the UK and Scotland have a "relatively high level of synchronicity".
In June 2012, Alistair Darling said voters elsewhere in the UK could choose not to join the currency with Scotland. Former Prime Minister Sir John Mayor rejected the idea of ​​a currency union, saying it would require Britain to bear Scottish debt. Another former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said the SNP proposal would create a "colonial relationship" between Scotland and Westminster. Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said in November 2013 that he would seek a veto on the currency union between Scotland and the rest of England.
Yes, Scotland says that the currency union will benefit Scotland and the rest of England, as Scottish exports will increase the balance of payments, and consequently strengthen the sterling exchange rate. Meanwhile, UK economics and finance experts stated that the effects on the balance of payments and exchange rates would be "largely neutral". Sterling fell nearly a penny against the US dollar in early September 2014, as polls show a swing against the Yes campaign. The Financial Times reported days later that "asset managers, investors and pension savers are moving billions of pounds out of Scotland" because of concerns that Scotland will leave the UK. The newspaper also reported that "'outgoing clauses' are being put into commercial property contracts in Scotland to allow buyers to cancel transactions or renegotiate prices if voters choose independence".
The Scottish government declares that not having a currency union can cost the business in England, Wales and Northern Ireland Ã, Â £ 500 million in transaction fees when trading with an independent Scotland; Cymru's diplomatic spokesman Jonathan Edwards commented that the cost was a "threat to Welsh businesses". Scottish Labor Party leader Johann Lamont says that additional transaction costs will fall on Scottish companies, which weigh 11 times more business in Scotland than in Britain. The Institute of Directors states that any new transaction costs will be "pale in comparison to financial hazards entering an unstable currency union."
If Scotland joins the union with the UK, some fiscal policy constraints may be imposed on the Scottish state. Banking experts say that being a "junior partner" in currency settings could be a "loss of fiscal autonomy for Scotland". Dr Angus Armstrong of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research wrote that implicit constraints on his economic policies would be more restrictive than the explicit ones he faced as a member of Britain. Salmond said in February 2014 that independent Scotland in the currency union will retain tax and spending power. Gavin McCrone, a former chief economic adviser for the Scottish Office, stated that the retention of the Scottish pound would be pragmatic at first but problematic afterwards if the Scottish government wants to implement independent policy, and he warned that keeping the pound could lead to the relocation of the Scottish Bank to London.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, as well as the equivalent stake holders in the other two major British political parties, rejected the idea of ​​a formal union with an independent Scottish union in February 2014. Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said the SNP proposals for the union were "economically incoherent", and that any currency option for an independent Scotland would be "less profitable than what we have in the UK today".
After three major British political parties have ruled out the official currency union as a possibility, the Adam Smith Institute says that the economies of Panama, Ecuador and El Salvador "show that the informal use of other countries' currencies can foster sound financial and economic systems." In September 2014, former European Commissioner Olli Rehn stated that an independent Scotland would not be eligible for EU membership if it shares sterling informally, as it would not have an independent central bank. Rehn's comments were disputed by Salmond, who reiterated his belief that the sterling currency union will be formed and pledged to create the necessary financial institutions.
The Scottish Socialist Party likes an independent Scottish currency, pegged to sterling in the short term. The Scottish Greens say that maintaining sterling as a "short-term transitional arrangement" should not be ruled out, but also saying that the Scottish Government should "keep an open mind about moving towards an independent currency". The Jimmy Reid Foundation, in early 2013, described the pound's retention as a good transitional arrangement, but recommended the creation of an independent Scottish currency to "isolate" Scotland from Britain's "economic instability". Other supporters of the independent Scottish currency include the chairman of Yes Scotland Dennis Canavan and former vice chairman of the SNP, Jim Sillars.
On September 9, 2014, Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, said that the free trade unions between Scotland and the rest of Britain would be "incompatible with sovereignty". Carney was involved in a "Q & amp; A" session at the Trades Union Congress and further explained that cross-border ties to taxes, spending and banking rules are a prerequisite: "You just have to look across the continent to see what happens if you do not have a component - that component... you need taxes, income, and expenditure to flow across the border to help equalize, to some extent, some inevitable differences [across the unions]. "A spokesman for the finance minister of the SNP responded, saying" Successful independent states such as France, Germany, Finland and Austria all share the currency - and they are responsible for 100% of their tax revenues, as an independent Scottish would.Under under devolution, Scotland only controls 7% of our revenues. "Carney's comments received vocal support from Darling and GMB's trade union, the latter supporting retention of the driver the British today.
Government revenue and expenditure
The Barnett formula has resulted in higher per capita public expenditures in Scotland than in Britain. Including North Sea oil revenue allocations by geography, Scotland also generated more per capita tax revenues than the British average in the years before the referendum. The Institute for Fiscal Studies reported in November 2012 that the geographical portion of North Sea oil will more than cover higher public spending, but warns that oil prices are volatile and that they are withdrawn from limited resources. The Scottish Government Expenditure and Revenue Report for 2012/13 found that North Sea oil revenues fell 41.5% and Scotland's public expenditure deficit has increased from Ã, Â £ 4.6 billion to Ã, Â £ 8.6 billion.
In May 2014, the British government published an analysis identifying "Union dividends" of Ã, £ 1,400 per year for every person in Scotland, primarily due to higher levels of public expenditure. The Scottish government denied this analysis, saying that every Scot would be better  £ 1,000 more per year under independence in 2030. Three economists say that both estimates are possible, but both depend on unknown variables such as the UK government debt distribution. , future North Sea oil revenues, possible independent Scottish expenditure commitments and future productivity improvements.
In its analysis, the British government also estimates setup fees of Ã, Â £ 1.5 billion (1% of GDP) to establish an independent state, or perhaps Ã, Â £ 2.7 billion (180 public bodies worth Ã, Â £ 15 million each). Patrick Dunleavy of the London School of Economics criticized the British government's "ridiculous" use of his research in bringing in the last figures. The Treasury said that their main figure (Ã, Â £ 1.5 billion) was based on estimates by professor Robert Young of Western University. Two of the major trade union parties in Scotland asked the SNP to publish their own estimates of the setup costs of an independent state, but the Scottish government said that estimates were unlikely because the final bill would depend on negotiations with others. UK. Professor Dunleavy estimates the immediate installation cost of Ã, Â £ 200 million in the report commissioned by the Sunday Post newspaper, with "total transition costs" between Ã, Â £ 600 million and Ã, Â £ 1,500 million in the first 10 years of independence.
The credit rating to be received by independent Scotland is also a matter of debate. Credit rating agency Fitch said in 2012 that he can not give an opinion on what ratings Scotland will have, as Scottish finances will rely heavily on the outcome of negotiations between England and Scotland on the distribution of assets and liabilities. Standard & amp; Poor's, another credit rating agency, asserted in February 2014 that Scotland would face a "significant but not impenetrable" challenge, and that "does not even include North Sea output and calculate GDP per capita only by looking at domestic revenues, Scotland will meet a requirement for our highest economic assessment ". A study published by Moody's in May 2014 says that an independent Scotland would be rated A, comparable to Poland, the Czech Republic and Mexico. A's rating will be two levels below the current rank for England, which Moody believes will not be affected by Scottish independence.
Energy
Energy market
Most of the energy issues are controlled by the British government, although control of the planning law allows the Scottish government to prevent the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Scotland. Proponents of independence want to maintain a single energy market throughout the United Kingdom after independence, to maintain price stability and support for suppliers. Opponents say that independence will threaten a single energy market. Euan Phimister, professor of economics at Aberdeen University, said that although independence would affect relationships, it is likely that there will be continued UK demand for electricity generated in Scotland because the OFGEM projections show that there is little spare capacity. The second largest energy supplier in the UK, SSE plc, believes that a single market will be the most likely outcome under independence, although it will require negotiations and may involve changes to existing systems.
Labor MP Caroline Flint said independence would mean higher energy bills in Scotland, as his customers had to pay more to support renewable energy in Scotland, which represents one-third of Britain's total. Euan Phimister said that bills are likely to increase throughout the United Kingdom as renewable schemes and new nuclear power plants in the UK both receive higher subsidies than the power plants that will soon be closed due to environmental regulations. He also said that there is a difference between existing and proposed renewable schemes in the existing scheme has been paid, whereas any new construction requires the promise of subsidies from consumers. Minister of Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey stated that Scottish generators no longer qualify for UK subsidies, which will increase energy bills for consumers.
North Sea Oil
About 90% of the North Sea oil fields of Great Britain are located in Scottish territorial waters. Tax revenue generated from offshore sites is not counted in the country or region closest to it, but is allocated to the English continental shelf. Revenue from North Sea oil has been used to support current spending, rather than creating sovereign oil funds. The SNP believes that some of its revenues should be invested in sovereign oil funds. The Scottish government, quoting the Oil and Gas UK industrial regulator, estimates in the Scottish Future that there are 24 billion barrels of boe oil left to extract. Sir Ian Wood, founder of Wood Group oil services company, said in August 2014 that it believes there are between 15 and 16.5 billion boe and that the impact of declining production will be felt by 2030. In September 2014, an investigation by the industry recruitment website Oil and Gas People states that there is a vast oil reserve west of Western Isles and Shetland. The report anticipates that the region will be developed within the next 10 years due to improvements in drilling technology, rig design and surveys.
European Union
The SNP advocates that an independent Scotland should be a full EU member state with few exceptions, such as not having to adopt the euro. There is a debate as to whether Scotland will be required to re-register for membership, and if it can retain the British election. The European Commission (EC) offered to give opinion to the existing member states on this issue, but the British government insisted that they would not seek this advice, for not wanting to negotiate the terms of independence ahead of the referendum.
There is no precedent for EU member states that are divided into two sovereign states after joining the EU. Proponents of independence declare that an independent Scotland will become a member of the European Union by amending the treaty under Article 48 of the EU treaty. Opponents say that this will not be possible and that an independent Scotland needs to apply for EU membership under Article 49, which would require ratification by individual member states.
Christina McKelvie, Member of the Scottish Parliamentary and External Relations Committee, in March 2014 asked Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission, whether Article 48 would apply. Reding replied that the EU treaty ceased to apply to territories when it broke away from member states. He also pointed out that Article 49 would be the route to registering for membership of the European Union. Josà ©  © Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, stated earlier that an independent Scotland should apply for membership, while the rest of England would continue to be its members. In 2014, he insisted that Scotland joining the EU would be "very difficult, if not impossible".
Former prime minister Sir John Major suggested in November 2013 that Scotland would need to reapply for EU membership, but this would mean overcoming opposition to separatists among many existing member states, especially Spain. It could block Scotland's membership in the European Union, amid fears of an impact with separatist movements in Catalonia and the Basque Country: in November 2013 Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said: "I know for sure that the area to be separated from members of the EU states will remain outside the EU and it must be known to the Scots and other Europeans. "He also stated that an independent Scotland would be a" third country "outside the EU and would require the consent of all 28 EU countries to rejoin it EU, but that he will not attempt to block Scottish independent entries. Salmond quoted a letter from Mario Tenreiro from the European Commission secretariat general who said it would be legally possible to renegotiate the UK and Scotland conditions within the EU with the unanimous approval of all member states. Spain's position was reaffirmed two days before the referendum by the Spanish minister of European affairs, saying "It is clear that every member country that leaves the member country is out of the EU If they wish to reapply, they will have to follow Article 49 of the agreement. "
Professor Sir David Edward, a former European Court judge, stated that EU institutions and member states would be "compulsory" to start negotiations before independence in effect to sever future ties. He said this would be achieved by approving the amendments of the existing Agreement (Article 48), rather than the new Accession Agreement (Article 49). Graham Avery, Honorary Honorary Director of the European Commission, agrees with Edward. Avery wrote the report, published by the European Policy Center, which said that EU leaders might allow Scotland to be part of the European Union because of the legal and practical difficulties that would arise from excluding it. In a research paper, Professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott of the University of Oxford stated that EU law typically takes "pragmatic and purposeful approaches" to issues that have not been provided by existing treaties. The study published by the Council on Economic and Social Research in August 2014 concluded that it is unlikely that S
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