Independence blueprint to be debated

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 27 November 2013 | 15.37

27 November 2013 Last updated at 02:35 ET

A debate on the Scottish government's independence White Paper is to be held at Holyrood later.

The debate will gave members of the Scottish Parliament a chance to examine the 670-page document in more detail.

First Minister Alex Salmond described the White Paper as the "most comprehensive blueprint for an independent country ever published".

But Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont suggested the document's projections were "not credible".

A referendum on Scottish independence will be held on 18 September next year, with voters being asked the straight yes/no question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

The White Paper, which contains the arguments in favour of independence and is intended as a guide to what might happen if it is achieved, was launched by Mr Salmond at Glasgow's Science Centre on Tuesday morning.

'Arithmetic of politics'

Speaking ahead of the parliamentary debate, Ms Lamont questioned whether independence would bring the benefits claimed by the Scottish government.

Interviewed on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, she said: "The assumption that simply by Scotland going it alone we will somehow be more radical, more progressive, is simply not true.

"We will still have to deal with the arithmetic of politics which is you have to fund things.

"What we seem to be getting from the Scottish government now is that we will cut taxes and at the same time we'll improve services - that's not credible."

The White Paper is titled Scotland's Future: Your guide to an independent Scotland, and states that Scotland would become independent on 24 March 2016 if there is a Yes vote in the referendum.

The first minister is due to open Wednesday afternoon's debate for the Scottish government.

He will argue that "it is better for everyone in Scotland if decisions about the country's future are taken by the people who care most about Scotland, the people who live and work here".

Mr Salmond will also say he looks forward to a positive national debate on independence for Scotland, with contributions from all perspectives and from all sectors of Scottish society, before next September's historic vote.

The White Paper confirmed that Scotland would seek to secure a Sterling currency union with the remainder of the UK after independence, and asserted that the country would negotiate for a smooth transition to EU and Nato membership.

Child care

The document also makes a series of pledges to be fulfilled if the SNP forms the first government in a newly-independent Scotland.

These included:

  • Thirty hours of childcare per week in term time for all three and four-year-olds, as well as vulnerable two-year-olds.
  • Trident nuclear weapons, currently based on the Clyde, removed within the first parliament.
  • Housing benefit reforms, described by critics as the "bedroom tax", to be abolished, and a halt to the rollout of Universal Credit.
  • It would be in Scotland's interest to keep the pound, while the Bank of England would continue as "lender of last resort".
  • BBC Scotland replaced at the start of 2017 with a new Scottish broadcasting service, continuing a formal relationship with the rest of the BBC.
  • Basic rate tax allowances and tax credits to rise at least in line with inflation.
  • A safe, "triple-locked" pension system.
  • Minimum wage to "rise alongside the cost of living".

Speaking at the document's launch, Mr Salmond said it was a "mission statement and a prospectus for the kind of country we should be and which this government believes we can be".

But former UK chancellor Alistair Darling, who leads the pro-UK Better Together campaign, accused the Scottish government of having "ducked the opportunity to answer the big questions about Scotland's future", and said the White Paper was "thick with false promises and meaningless assertions."


Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Independence blueprint to be debated

Dengan url

http://sarapanoatmeal.blogspot.com/2013/11/independence-blueprint-to-be-debated.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Independence blueprint to be debated

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Independence blueprint to be debated

sebagai sumbernya

0 komentar:

Posting Komentar

techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger