The Scottish Government

Scotland in the World

Friday, November 30, 2007

Aberdeen University has just set up a 'Scotland in the World' Forum to consider our country's global standing and global potential.

I was invited to deliver the inaugural lecture and I was delighted to explain how the Forum will be a major part of the wider National Conversation which is about the kind of country Scotland wishes to be - and the changes that must be made to meet our ambitions.

I talked about independence and interdependence and why this Government looks to Ireland and the Nordic countries - the Arc of Prosperity around us - as working models of what can be achieved in the modern global economy if Scotland had the same powers and freedoms that these countries take for granted.

I said that Scotland's interdependence is a fact. We have a strong economic relationship with the rest of the UK, our EU partners, and beyond.

And, I argued, it is precisely because we live in an interdependent world that independence matters.

The choice for Scotland is clear. We can choose to remain a bit player - unable to advance our interests other than through the UK. Alternatively, as an independent country, we can actively seek responsibility, eager to help shape the great global debates on the environment, on trade, on poverty, on the emergence of new economies.

For me, Scottish independence is not just an opportunity to move Scotland forward, but a chance for Scotland to give something back, to meet our global responsibilities. I want Scotland to be a leader in international conflict resolution, building on the tremendous sense of goodwill towards our nation across the globe.

Scotland is considering its position in a world of close and ever-growing economic interdependence. We benefit greatly from co-operation but that does not obviate the huge economic rewards for countries that are innovative and flexible and pursuing the right economic strategy, and a clear and distinct set of interests.

That is why this Government believes that now, more than ever, Scotland stands to benefit from full independence.

Read the full text of FM's lecture

This blog is now closed to further comments.

Comments

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• 141. Ian Burnett - Glasgow

  Monday, March 17, 2008 22:52

  Third attempt to get someone to listen so lets go straight to the top.
  
  The following appeared in the News section the other day another minister referring to the third sector:-
  Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell said the views of the Third Sector - comprising groups from national and international charities to small neighbourhood organisations - had a vital role to play in responding to 'Choosing Scotland's Future', the Scottish Government's National Conversation about Scotland's constitutional direction and urged them to join the debate.
  
  A national debate is all well and good providing some one is actually listening. Nothing wrong with such a debate providing all else is going well. Well its not. I admit funds have been released for national bodies but what about the smaller and indeed the community organisations that are suffering dramatically because they are struggling to continue due to lack of support from our government.
  I have put a posting on both John Swinneys and Nicola Sturgeons' blogs hoping that someone may listen. This week I have personally been involved in making a staff member redundant due to lack of resources, a theme that is happening everywhere you turn. When will the resources be made available to these groups who provide sterling work with those that need it most in todays society.What is it going to take to make you realise that the most cost effective strategy is to maintain accessible funding for these groups and that it will be a false economy to keep them hanging on, loosing more staff week in week out. we hear so often from ministers that people are suffering from social and financial exclusion and that it is not acceptable to the government so back this up with action now before its to late.
  Is this just a publicity exercise, do any of the ministers read these blogs, it would be good if answers could be received from our elected representatives, at least it might prove they have read them. If they don't whats the point of asking the nation to participate?
  Common Alex & co stop the rot before it's too late.
  
  

• 142. Kev - Edinburgh

  Tuesday, March 18, 2008 16:38

  Ian (142) that is a good post and you've highlighted a number of very important points.
  
  But is not lack of resources the same as lack of funding?? Scotland is in an unique position within the UK that we do have a greater number of social and financially worse off people.
  The SNP or whoever's in power only have a certain budget to work within and tied as we are to Westminister will can never look to increase or better or lot.
  How much money has been squandered on the Iraq war? how many billions go to fund English road improvements, Olympic game's and lets not forget the immense sum's to upgrade and polish up the English nuclear weapons and warships, the list can go on and on.
  
  Perhaps we should look to help, and make available more resources and funding, or are we as a nation contend with the status Quo and "I'm all right Jack" attitude which is the legacy of an English tory government, and seems all to prevalent amongst today's MP's?
  

• 143. Dave Eastabrook - Largs, Ayrshire

  Wednesday, March 19, 2008 13:35

  142. Ian Burnett
  Ian, a little point, and this is not designed to be aggressive or dismissive, quite the opposite.
  
  I personally find a problem with such titles as "the Third Sector", "fourth framework" and similar. They're non-descriptive, way too formal, and for me a complete turn off. I'd say the general populace is the same, and this means that any discussion about these vital issues shoots straight over my head. So public interest and support is low, whereas it normally would be very high.
  
  We need easy to understand titles or names we can empathise with.

• 144. Scott01 - Ayr

  Wednesday, March 19, 2008 18:25

  #140
  
  Regarding taxation, and in particular the abolition of the 10p band on income tax. No I did not choose to ignore the fact that the headline rate has been reduced from 22p to 20p. I merely chose to focus on the impact that the abolition of the 10p tax band would have on both myself and the estimated 5.3 million people across the UK who will also be affected. As I understand it, all who earn below £18.5 k per annum will be worse off under the new arrangements.
  
  Those with children may be able to offset this through tax credits, however those without like myself will not. The point I was making was that it does seem to be a bit ironic that those of us who earn less than £18.5k per annum (not a sum associated with high-class living), are having to pay more, whilst those further up the pay scale will be better off. I suppose you could argue it is socialism in reverse.
  
  Yes you are right, it is swings and roundabouts as to who wins and loses, I just think the Westminster Government’s methods of balancing the books after an 11 year public spending splurge is targeting the wrong group of taxpayers.
  
  Yes, it is true also that the water rates have not been frozen along with the council tax, but then the SNP never promised to do this. As a result I will be paying a whole £1 per month more in my council tax for the forthcoming year. Not bad, when you consider the annual rises we were all used to under the previous Holyrood administration.
  

• 145. Duncan McKeeve - Ontario Canada

  Friday, March 21, 2008 15:36

  If Scotland wishes to be an indipendant nation, first the people must stop their religeous bigitory as it has done so much to undermine this great nation. There are so many foreign people in Scotland it is becomming hard to find the real Scots and yet we fight between ourselves. I went to a business class in Glasgow to find out about opening a business and it was the English teaching me (Teaching me something I had done for years,I walked out). Most of your liesure industry, Hotels= owned Mostly English and Indian, Marinas= owned English and South African and busineses are owned by foreigners. When is Scotland going to help her own. There are many of xpats that would return if the climate were to change. Of all mp's I wrote to only Alex salmond did not reply, what does that say? he is too busy building a new parliment that was grossley over budget or too involved in himself. If he is really for Scotland tell him to get off his duff and fight for freedom and the rest will take care of itself. I love my country dearly but do not think I could afford to live in it. My people are really the friendliest in the world (I have travelled the world)but they must first stop fighting between themselves and set up trade with the United States Canada and Australia as these are your true friends. They must forget the weekend celtic and Rangers and see SCOTLAND as their focus. Football is only a passtime not a fanatacism. England can be a partner but only as we require them and we must have even footings. Scotlands tourism board wants an extra 250 pounds for each tourist in 2008 well get off your backside and earn it as you do not know what service is. Wake up!! you can do it. We were once a proud nation and we can be proud again if we start flying the flag and believing in each other, sell service and create employment for the young. Make a fuss of the tourist and they will come back to spend and have a good time even if the weather is not the best.
  Scotlands Freedom, Ready! Aye Ready!!!.
  A true Scotsman. Duncan. Canada.

• 146. How about a course in devolution issues? - Fife

  Saturday, March 22, 2008 11:15

  #145 Scott 01
  
  I suppose the fact that the Scottish government also has the power to REDUCE the 20p in the pound tax level down to 17p for range of persons who would benefit from this reduction. No doubt a level could be set to ensure people who do not benefit from the measures in place and are worse off could be recompensed. I would suggest that this will NOT happen as it detracts from the argument that Westminster is full of nasty people out to trample on us poor Scots!
  
  Better to pursue a pretend benefit of eliminating council tax without explaining how the funds lost from this source can be raised from the population without considerable finacial support from that nasty place down South.

• 147. David - Mid-Lothian

  Saturday, March 22, 2008 19:24

   

• 148. David Arnott - Midlothian

  Sunday, March 23, 2008 02:16

  Niel Anderson, about the oil - in 50 years time ALL the oil will be used up or so it is predicted. So where will everybody be? Thats something the world has to figure out not just Scotland. Besides Scotland has many sources of revenue.
  
  As for the European Parliament...only a person who is not aware of the structure of the EU would not be cautious of joining it. Firstly nations joining the EU are encouraged not to have a referendum and those who decide to have a referendum anyway end up having the referendum repeatedly to eventually get the desired result as seen in Switzerland (who have not yet yielded). This alone shows the undemocratic nature of the EU without mentioning the unelected and perpetually unknown Work Groups - those people and organisations which are a large part of the EU process but are kept faceless and unaccountable. The fact that the MEP's are at the very bottom of the ladder in terms of real policy power - being only able to amend policy that comes from the commissioners or the Work Groups that THEN goes back to the commissioners to APPROVE those amendments. I have no room here to go farther with that point.
  
  The ECB (European Central Bank). That in itself is a terrible idea if one looks at the u.s especially since they actually admit that the ECB is independant of the government.
  If the ECB is totally independant from the government then that means that the government can be manipulated very easily as with the U.S. Taxes can be raised to fund this monster and wars can be faught to bring greater profits, as with the federal reserve, since the government borrows the war money from the bank. Simply put this entire situation is open to the most vile corruption and only a fool would seriously consider it.

• 149. Ian Burnett - Glasgow

  Sunday, March 23, 2008 23:21

  143. Kev – Yes you are correct Kev, I meant that due to lack of funding we had to say bye bye to this employee, although since my last posting a private family trust has shown great interest in the project that this staff member was running. Sad state of affairs when a family trust sees the benefits which other major public funders are completely oblivious to. I agree with all your other points and as a nation we should not accept the status quo / I’m all right Jack attitude, how ever I know for a fact if all of the organisations that provide these much needed services were told that for the next year there would be a status quo on the level of funding for the coming year they would all breath a heavy sigh of relief. This would at least allow them to continue whilst all the debates / consultations were taking place and could devote 100% of their time to there services instead of having to go through the trauma of not knowing if their project will survive after March 31st which seems to be a date that many funding streams will finish and the unsettling procedure of having to make their staff redundant. All I am trying to do is attempt to get the ministers to understand what is happening out here in the real world, on the front line so to speak because they are all so insulated behind their doors of power, full of statistics and words of good intention. We need action now before the harm is done and we loose the skills, knowledge and most importantly the commitment of some of the nations best people.
  
  144. Dave – I agree with your comment entirely. There are so many buzzwords these days, acronyms and abbreviations the art of honest straight discussion appears to be non-existent in the higher echelons of politics. Hence why many, in such places, have not got a clue exactly how important the organisations I am referring to in my postings are to those who need them. All of the organisations that I either work with or have knowledge of deal with those who are less fortunate than most of us within our communities. These people either have health issues, family issues, addictions or indeed money problems and they need support to turn their lives around. Most of these groups have paid staff but in virtually every case they have people who give up their own time to volunteer and every single group I know could not provide the levels of services they do without their volunteers. I personally think that those in power should be made to volunteer within the sectors they are involved in and then, and only then, would they be qualified to pass comment on the value for money these groups represent but most importantly they would maybe realise exactly how much good work they provide AND the real need for supporting them in terms of funding and resources. The experience would also allow them to understand the reality of life many face on a day to day basis and how these groups strive to help these people turn their lives around. I am fortunate that I have a permanent job, and I am even more fortunate that I work within a sector to which I am deeply committed and where I see the benefits derived by people who need our services day in and day out. There are many hundreds of thousands of people out there who just need to be given the chance to change there lives, they need the support and direction that all these groups / organisations provide and without adequate funding or resources these groups could cease providing their services and will those in power suffer as a consequence, not a chance, only those that needed them the most will again feel as if they have been discarded, until, of course, their plight becomes politically in favour again.
  

• 150. jack - glasgow

  Monday, March 24, 2008 19:52

  I believe in solidarity, co-operation and integration - not independence. Nationalism causes more problems than it solves and it's a great shame that Scotland now has a nationalist government. I think it was Einstein who called nationalists "the measles of mankind" and how true he was. I'm afraid I cannot support the independence option. I'm open to more powers but to me the big dimension left out of the whole debate is the European one.

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