Scotland’s big vote
What do you think of the Scottish government's
referendum plans?
That is the question we are all being asked by the first
minister, Alex Salmond, this week.
Sometime in the next three years, Scottish people will be able
to take part in a vote on the future of our country.
That bit is for sure. All the other details are yet to be
decided, and you can have your say.
The government has suggested a plan with details of how and when
the referendum will take place, who will be able to vote, what
exactly we will be voting on, and who will organise the whole
process.
Now, anyone who wants to respond has until Friday 11 May to tell
leaders what they think of the plan.
A referendum is when people get to vote on a particular
question. The Scottish independence referendum will be about
whether Scotland stays as part of the United Kingdom or becomes
more separate.
The first minister has suggested that the question we will be
able to vote yes or no to will be:
"Do you agree Scotland should be an independent country?"
He proposed that the referendum would be held on a Saturday in
October or November 2014, and that 16- and 17-year-olds should be
allowed to take part.
The really big question, of course, is what independence for
Scotland would actually mean. The issues are endless: would we
still use the pound or switch to the euro? Be able to watch BBC TV
or have our own national broadcaster? Remain part of the European
Union or leave it? Keep all the oil and gas found off our shores or
share it with England, Wales and Northern Ireland? The list goes
on…
But at least the question about the question has been resolved!
Follow the link on the right to tell the government what you think
of their referendum plans.
Read our story on what an independent Scotland could be
like by clicking on the What's more tab at the top of this
story.
Click
here to see a slideshow summary of the UK and Scottish
governments' views.
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Scotland’s big vote
What would an independent Scotland be like?
The government has suggested that sometime in the autumn of
2014, voters should get the chance to answer the question:
"Do you agree Scotland should be an independent country?"
But before anyone can answer that, we need to find out what an
independent Scotland would be like. What, exactly, would we be
voting for?
Newspapers have likened a future split from the rest of the UK
to a divorce. Just as a married couple would need to decide who
gets the house, car, children, and so on should they separate, the
UK and Scotland will need to thrash out how things like the army,
our national debt, and oil and gas reserves would be divided up
should we go our separate ways.
Let's have a look at some of the key areas of debate:
What would our currency be?
As part of the UK, Scotland is a member of the European
Union. Some experts think that if we become independent we may need
to re-apply to join the EU as a new country. And that could mean
that we would have to swap the pound for the Euro. But the Scottish
government says that this would not happen and we would keep our
membership, and so keep the pound.
How would the UK's debt be divided up?
The UK is in a lot of debt. One trillion pounds-worth, to
be exact. That's the equivalent of around £16,400 per person. But
if the UK splits up, who would be responsible for paying back this
huge sum? The Scottish government argues that the massive amount
owed was triggered by the central Westminster government's failure
to regulate the banks properly, and so it should not be passed on
to Scotland. Not surprisingly, Westminster does not agree.
Who would get the oil and gas found under the seas off
Scotland's coastline?
There is enough oil and gas left under the North Sea to
make around £230 billion in tax over the next 30 years. At the
moment, all oil revenues go to the central government in London.
The Scottish National Party says that an independent Scotland
should get to keep this money for itself. Other people argue that
it should be divided up amongst the countries of the UK according
to population size.
How would the UK's defences be divided up?
An ex-navy chief has argued that an independent Scotland
would not be able to afford its own defence systems like the ones
currently funded by the central government in Westminster. Lord
West of Spithead has said that aircraft and warships would have to
be given up and military bases at Lossiemouth and Leuchars would
close. Faslane, where the UK's nuclear weapon programme, Trident,
is based, would also have to shut down. He warned an independent
Scotland's forces would stretch to eight patrol ships, 8500 regular
soldiers, three maritime reconnaissance aircraft and a few
helicopters. These cuts would have a knock-on effect on Scotland's
economy, with the loss of military jobs and the closure of
shipyards.
But the SNP's defence spokesperson Angus Robertson hit back:
"Scotland's northern European neighbours of comparable size all
have the appropriate military capabilities including fast jets,
ocean-going vessels and highly trained personnel. There is no doubt
that Scotland could easily do the same and Lord West would be
better advised to stop talking Scotland down."
Would our TV programmes change?
The BBC, as the UK's public service broadcaster, provides
the content for many of our TV channels. But if the UK were to
split up, would the BBC also be disbanded? Would BBC Scotland
continue as it is, but with its funding coming from Scottish
license-fee payers? Or would we have a whole new publicly-funded
broadcaster with completely new programmes? What about the
radio?
Click
here to see a slideshow summary of the UK and Scottish
governments' views.
Lesson ideas and
suggestions
Read and discuss lesson ideas on our Facebook page
Join our mailing list (Glow login
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