Meeting of the Parliament 18 June 2014
Not at the moment.
Scotland can be independent—of that there is not a shadow of doubt—but the question on the ballot paper is not “Can we?” but “Should we?” On Monday of this week, the Scottish Government published its draft independence bill. As Johann Lamont said, on the same day the Opposition parties made a joint statement on further devolution.
Johann Lamont was right to comment on the contrast between the two. Our bill showed how Scotland, with all the confidence and powers of an independent nation, could set out our aspirations for this nation, work towards fairness in our society and remove nuclear weapons from our soil. By contrast, what the Opposition parties offered the people of Scotland was a pig in a poke: no agreement on specific powers to be devolved—not even one; no indication of a timetable; no say for the Scottish people; and no guarantee that anything whatsoever will be delivered. That is not good enough.
The only thing that will come with a guarantee of more powers is a yes vote to enable the people who live and work in Scotland to decide how this country should be run, not just in the areas that Westminster chooses to devolve but across the whole range of Government activity: taxation as well as education; welfare as well as health; and foreign affairs as well as justice. A yes vote will enable us to take responsibility for our own future and will give us the powers to address the challenges that we face and to maximise our opportunities.