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

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Comments

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• 71. Graeme - West Lothian

  Thursday, February 21, 2008 20:00

   

• 72. Dave Eastabrook - Largs, Ayrshire

  Friday, February 22, 2008 12:58

  71. Scott01 and others about attractive business rates.
  
  I went on a nearby factory visit last week, it was about "lean sigma"; as a small family manufacturing business I thought this would be well above my head, surprisingly it wasn't. Anyway, this company had had to slim down from 900 to 750 and I think 600 employees to stay competitive (with union acceptance), and I put the question - is wages the problem or the corporation tax. The answer surprised me - taxation. I always thought it was the cost of labour. This company by the way has a sister plant in Ireland - I guess you could say they have to compete with each other; reading between the lines I'd say Cork often wins. I did ask about independence, but not surprisingly this wasn't answered except with smiles. It was off topic!
  
  Back in 1975 I had the luck, because of statistical skills as well as computing skills, to work at the IBM lab at Peterlee on a model of the Scottish economy for SCRI, and was able to mess around with the model itself. Oil being for some reason a disputed resource for Scotland, I took that out of the equation completely, and was sursprised to see that Scotland had a very strong economy back in those days. Since then we've seen steel at Ravenscraig disappear, Hoover, Singer, Rolls Royce (though not completely), BL at Bathgate, even IBM at Greenock having changed and under threat, many others. I'd really like to see a modern run through that model or its greatly improved modern counterpart.
  
  A major variable in such a model would be corporation tax, and other taxes. I'd like to see the SNP and others in favour of independence get this model working again, get the results verified and endorsed by such as the CBI, Tom Hunter, Tom Farmer, Anne Gloag, Duncan Bannatyne who has a high public profile - and others. And put in simple terms simple people like me can understand.
  
  Then we could really see what's cooking!

• 73. G Craigie - Dundee

  Friday, February 22, 2008 18:44

  The Scottish Labour Party and the S.T. U.C seem to have broken ranks with their masters in London, and their big business interests, to do their best for the Scottish people. They have decided to scrap the council tax and bridge tolls, introduce free personal care for the elderly,as well as free prescriptions; also, scrap tuition fees, save A&E at hospitals, introduce free school meals, oppose nuclear energy and Trident to concentrate on renewable energy and peace. They've put more police on the streets; the list goes on. In fact, a return to the principles of Keir Hardie's Labour Party of social justice and fairness. Given all this, I would say Alex Salmond is the best Labour Party leader since the aforementioned Hardie, leading the Scottish people to a free and socially democratic Scotland........
  Oops, wait a minute, I think I may have got this wrong; Could any Labour Party supporter put me right on this.......

• 74. Quentin Todd - Hamilton, New Zealand

  Saturday, February 23, 2008 20:27

  I am reading Tom Devine's The Scottish Nation: 1700-2000. I would love to live in Scotland. My ancestors are from there, and I believe Independence will definitely be a good thing. It is most certainly up to Scots to make it happen-because you want it.
  
  I back you 100%.

• 75. stan hurst - england

  Sunday, February 24, 2008 13:32

  If and when Scotland gets its indipendance, will it mean England will have its own parliament.
  
  There are a large no. of Scots in the English parliament plus Irish and Welsh.
  Does it mean we can get rid of them.
  

• 76. Scott01 - Ayr

  Sunday, February 24, 2008 15:12

  Number 73 - I am in agreement with your idea behind a re-evaluation of the Scottish economy based on independence, one which could be independently verified and free from political input. On the subject of corporation tax, you only have to look at Ireland’s model, which has created a vastly superior economy to our own, with corporation tax currently only 12.5%. When you compare this to the UK rate of 30% (28% from April 2008), it could surely be argued that this has a detrimental effect on Scotland’s ability to encourage foreign investment.
  
  Indeed it could be argued that this is a reason for so many businesses failing and for wages to be comparatively lower than they are down south. I know that there are those who will argue that lowering corporation tax would only mean less money going to the government. However, consider if corporation tax was halved from its current level.
  
  This would obviously be a big saving to business to the detriment of the country’s finances. However, if say the other side of this deal was that business had to commit 50% of their savings from a reduced corporation tax to job creation and raising the minimum wage, together with implementing more eco-friendly business practices; this would be to the benefit of all. The reasoning behind this would be if there were more people in work, they would contribute more taxes, whilst claiming less benefits. Raising the minimum wage would reduce poverty levels, whilst again raising additional taxation.
  
  The additional savings that the company would make would lead to greater profitability which can fund growth, or investment in infrastructure, all things which can benefit our society. Higher profits would also contribute to higher share prices and dividends, all the more important to the performance of all our pension funds, especially after the damage done to the industry after Gordon Brown’s smash and grab tax.
  
  This may be a very simplistic viewpoint but as always, any discussion would be welcome.
  

• 77. David - Glasgow

  Sunday, February 24, 2008 16:15

  The SNP seem to be doing a reasonable job in government at the moment. I think most people will wait to see if this continues before voting fro independence in the future. I will be very interesting to see how the SNP would get on with a Conservative administration in London.

• 78. David Robertson - Inverness

  Sunday, February 24, 2008 17:50

  The question of what is freedom cannot be neglected in any discussion about independence since the two ideas are closely connected.
  
  Freedom begins and ends on a personal level. It means nothing to me if Scotland is "free" if I myself am not free. The notion of national freedom apart from personal freedom is meaningless.
  
  Personal freedom cannot be understood apart from an understanding of the nature of voluntary and involuntary submission to authority. Without a clear understanding of these it is possible to submit voluntarily to an involuntary captivity that is experienced as "freedom". This is why, in George Orwell's masterpiece 1984, the people were able to accept cognitively and experientially the declaration that "Freedom is Slavery".
  
  This is why I believe that modern Scotland is in a similar condition. You may wish to be free from English "domination" but you are already in captivity to a much greater and more insidious power that you have welcomed as benificent and liberating. This power manifests itself most visibly, on the national scene, in the government services which now penetrate every possible nook and cranny of your life. This power is in reality a malignant parasite that derives its authority, with your consent, from its ability to create money out of nothing. It lends your government this money and charges your government interest on it even though it cost it nothing to create. This interest must be paid month after month, year after year, from the taxes your government levies on you in many creative ways, taxes that you must work long and hard to pay, binding you deeper and deeper into captivity to the creator of the debt. As the parasite creates more and more debt, for your government and for you, the value of the money so created falls in value, month by month, year by year. This is reflected in the rise in prices of everything you buy. When it affects property or shares, some people benefit, others lose. When it affects food and everyday items everybody loses. In the end nobody wins because the bubbles of property and share prices eventually must burst and the money borrowed to buy them still must be repaid to your captors.
  
  For the parasite to continue to thrive it must continue to derive its life from the life of the host, you and your fellow Scots. Eventually of course the parasite will kill the host because by itself it produces nothing, yet it must continue to live, so it must encourage your government to expand its welfare services, to increase its purchases of war goods by generating wars and rumours of wars through the media it owns, and so to increase its borrowing, and the taxation to pay the interest on it. Eventually the parasite controls your government and through your government, and your own indebtedness, it controls you and you have allowed it to do so involuntarily, but with your consent, because you have been mesmerised by its great lies "Freedom is Slavery" "War is Peace". The parasite conceals itself in many disguises, and directs the vague animosity you feel at your captivity towards other more visible targets, and ancient foes, that will serve its purpose of dividing and ruling you, the people, the source of its sustenance.
  
  Open your eyes, they have offered you freedom but they themselves are slaves of depravity.

• 79. Ian Innes - Elgin

  Sunday, February 24, 2008 21:40

  The following letter was printed in
  the Press and Jouranal.
  
  Sir,- As if to underline his
  personal commitment to maintaining
  the so-called 'special relationship'
  between the peoples of these islands
  and the United States, Prime
  Minister Gordon Brown has entered
  into an agreement regarding
  the facilities at the commun-
  ications base at Menwith Hill,
  Yorkshire.
  
  As a consequence, operational control
  will effectively be transferred to
  the Americans as part of its new
  missile defence system.
  
  Being of a modest disposition PM
  Brown has sought to understate
  the significance of the agreement,
  preferring to issue a written
  ministerial statement rather than
  announce it himself across the
  floor of the Commons.
  
  However this seeming reluctance
  to be more forthcoming has not
  gone down well with a group of
  Westminster MP's.
  
  Conscious of their duty as
  parliamentarians, they have gone
  public and requested that the
  details of the agreement be dis-
  seminated, scrutinised by Parlia-
  ment and debated. So far they have
  been ignored.
  
  But this should not deter the
  devolved parliament in Scotland
  from debating the issue.
  
  There are foriegn policy and internal
  security implications attached to the
  agreement that need to be aired
  and Gordon Brown must not be allowed
  to frustrate the democratic process.

• 80. Kate - Dundee

  Monday, February 25, 2008 13:24

  For Scotland to move forward we need to rediscover our national self confidence. This is difficult as, after 300 years of Union, Scots have grown to believe that, unique amongst nations, we are unable to run our own country.
  
  However, other nations have done this and there's no reason why Scotland can't join them.
  
  Alex Salmond and the SNP government are showing that, against the odds of being a minority in parliament, things can be done and are being done - things that are good for Scotland.
  
  In doing so, the Scottish Government is helping restore the confidence our nation needs to move us steadily on to regaining our independence.

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