Scottish Independence

Legitimacy
The United Nations Charter enshrines the right of peoples to self-determination, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also guarantees peoples' right to change nationality; the UK is a signatory to both documents. Politicians in both the Scottish and British parliaments have endorsed the right of the Scottish people to self-determination, including former UK Prime Ministers John Major and Margaret Thatcher. The Claim of Right 1989 was signed by every thenserving Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberal Democrat MP, with the exception of Tam Dalyell. Johann Lamontstated in her December 2011 acceptance speech for the Scottish Labour leadership that "sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland". There is some contention as to who represents the people of Scotland in the matter of the constitution, especially in light of the Scottish Government's insistence that the SNP's majority in the Scottish Parliament provides a mandate for an independence referendum. This is because the electorate voted for their MP, not their MSP, to represent them on issues of the constitution. However, the Edinburgh Agreement between the Scottish Government and the UK Government agrees that the British Parliament will pass a Section 30 order to temporarily grant the Scottish Parliament the legal power to hold the referendum.

For
Scottish independence is supported most prominently by the Scottish National Party. Reasons that have been cited in favour of independence include: The principle of self-determination: the people who live in Scotland, who are the most invested in the future of Scotland, will be making decisions for Scotland themselves. The Additional Member System employed for elections to the Scottish Parliament is arguably more democratic than the electoral system used for the House of Commons, so the Scottish electorate would be empowered. Control over defence and foreign policy means Scotland can choose, for example, to no longer have nuclear weapons in its seas or no longer be part of NATO. Access to North Sea oil and "vast offshore renewable energy" revenue means greater funding for the Scottish Government. In the 1970s, a slogan used for the oil argument was It's Scotland's oil. It could instigate a "cultural dawn"[clarification needed] for Scotland. This has been emphasised by creative pro-independence groups like National Collective.

The SNP is in favour of Scotland becoming an independent Commonwealth realm, similar to Canada or Australia, if independence should occur. Organisations in favour of Scotland becoming an independent republic, thus abolishing the monarchy altogether in Scotland, include the Scottish Socialist Party, Scottish Republican Socialist Party, Scottish Workers Republican Party and Solidarity

Against
In Britain, opposition to independence is represented by the three main British political parties. Within the Scottish Parliament, the Union is supported by theScottish Labour Party, Scottish Conservative Party and Scottish Liberal Democrats. There are strong historical and contemporary ties between Scotland and the rest of the UK from the Reformation and Union of Crowns, to Scottish involvement in the growth and development of theBritish Empire and contribution of the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. Contemporary popular culture is also shared to some extent, primarily through the prevalence of the English language. Almost half of the Scottish population have relatives in England, almost a million Scoto-English live and work in England and 400,000 Anglo-Scots now live in Scotland. There are also significant economic links with the Scottish military-industrial complex as well as close links within the financial sector. Those in favour of maintaining the Union believe Scotland is economically stronger as a part of the UK economy and that Scotland is better able to prosper in a globalised economy with the international influence and perceived stability derived from being part of a larger state. David Maddox, writing for The Scotsman, says that Scotland's levels of public spending would be difficult to sustain after independence without raising taxes, pointing to a future decline in North Sea oil revenue. Some, such as Ruth Davidson of the Scottish Conservatives, wish to reduce public spending and devolve more fiscal powers to the Scottish Parliament in order to address this issue within the broader framework of the Union. The Better Together campaign established in 2012 has talked about the uncertainty that could be brought in the immediate aftermath of independence, particularly by highlighting disagreement as to how Scotland would be treated in relation to the European Union, and the unlikelihood of the UK accepting a currency union with an independent Scotland.

International Infuence
Those in favour of a continued union also claim that as part of the United Kingdom, Scotland has more influence on international affairs and diplomacy, both politically and militarily, as part ofNATO, the G8 and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Opponents of further integration of the European Union claim that independence, within Europe but outside the EU three, would mean that Scotland would be more marginalised because, as a relatively small independent country, Scotland would be unable to resist the demands of larger member nations. However, there is the counterargument that Scotland could have more influence on world affairs by being represented independently. As an example, Scotland currently has six MEPs. Independent countries with a similar population to Scotland, such as Ireland or Denmark, have approximately twice as much representation. Similarly although every EU member state is represented at the Council of Europe, Scotland as part of the UK doesn't have a dedicated representative. If it were an independent nation it would have its own representative.

Currency
There are currently four options proposed by different parties for currency if Scotland were to become an independent state. Switching to the Euro, retaining Pound Sterling with or without a currency union, or adopting a separate Scottish Currency. The Scottish National Party is in favour of an independent Scotland retaining the Pound sterling as its currency, maintaining a currency union with the rest of the UK which Scottish Secretary Michael Moore suggested would be legal. They argue that this would give Scotland the best of both worlds with a stable currency and lender of last resort. The SNP previously proposed that an independent Scotland should adopt the Euro, but this position was changed following the 2010 European sovereign-debt crisis. It has been suggested that Scotland may be forced to join the Euro, but this has been contested by the Scottish Government. Opponents suggest that Scotland's retention of the British currency would devalue sterling and impact negatively on the economies of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has also been suggested that the other countries of the UK would insist upon agreements on the scope of the Scottish budget, thus limiting autonomy over monetary and fiscal policy. The Scottish Government's current stance is that Scotland should be part of a formal currency union with the United Kingdom, leading to representatives of the Scottish Government having a voice in the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee. The Better Together campaign against Scottish independence has argued that the UK government would refuse such an arrangement, but Yes Scotland maintain that it be mutually beneficial, as Scotland's exports, including North Sea oil, would boost the balance of payments and therefore strengthen the exchange rate of the pound sterling. This claim was rejected by Professor Charles Nolan of Glasgow University, who said it would make little difference because the Pound is a floating currency. "All that is likely to happen if the continuing UK loses those foreign exchange revenues is that the pound falls, boosting exports and curbing imports until a balance is one again restored. A report from the Jimmy Reid Foundation suggested that Scotland should, however, look to create its own currency. It described the SNP's plan to retain the pound as a good "transitional" arrangement, but recommended the establishment of an independent Scottish currency to "insulate" Scotland from the UK's "economic instability". The report argued that the UK's monetary policy had "sacrificed productive economy growth for conditions that suit financial speculation" and that an independent currency could protect Scotland from "the worst of it". The Scottish Green Party said that keeping the pound sterling as "a short term transitional arrangement" should not be ruled out, but the Scottish Government should "keep an open mind about moving towards an independent currency". Former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) John Bruton, remarking on the potential for repeating the experience of Ireland with an Irish Pound tied to sterling from the foundation of the state in 1922, through its declaration as a republic, until 1978, said "At that time, we had a situation where interest rate policy was determined in London without any Irish input, and we went up and down with the fortunes of whatever suited the British economy as decided by people in Britain". Gordon Brown has pointed out that by retaining the Pound Sterling, Scotland would have to live under whatever currency rules the UK imposed without any guarantee of any control over monetary policy, which would be a form of "self-imposed colonialism". Mark Carney has also cast doubt on the extent of real independence Scotland would have as long as it retained the pound.

George Osborne, UK Chancellor, said in an official speech in February 2014, that "if Scotland walks away from the UK, it walks away from the pound." Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond responded to Osborne's announcement by accusing the current Chancellor of "bluff, bluster and posturing" and insisted that a currency union would be "overwhelmingly" in the best interests of both Scotland and the rest of the UK. Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney called the advice used as a basis for Osborne's recommendations "incomplete" and that it discounted "comprehensive evidence provided by the independent economic experts of the fiscal commission". In the potential absence of a currency union, an Independent Scotland would likely have three alternatives; the Euro, a new currency, or retaining the pound without a currency union. If the option was selected to adopt the Euro as a currency for an independent Scotland, the process would take a few years. Scotland would be required to apply for EU membership, then fulfil the convergence criteria for at least two years, according to the standard procedure. However, no preferred alternative option has been significantly developed and a currency union remains the option pursued by Yes Scotland. Prior to the Scottish Labor Party's 2014 spring conferencefrom 21 to 23 MarchBrown spoke before Party members on 20 March, claiming that independence would cost every Scottish household 450 (US$743). Brown stated: "Everyone knows the SNP cannot afford all of their promises. But what has become clear is that when it comes to a choice, they prefer giving business tax cuts and money to the richest Scottish energy companies than cash to Scottish families." In response, the SNP's Kenneth Gibson labelled Brown's speech a "tried and failed tactic", instead claiming that "over the past five years, Scotland's finances have been stronger than the UK's to the tune of 8.3 billion or nearly 1,600 per person in Scotland". Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said that Scotland currency union with UK is not going to happen. "The three main parties in Westminster have said clearly and unambiguously that there is a solid cross-party consensus that if Scotland were to leave the UK, they cannot have their cake and eat it and remain part of the sterling currency union," he said.