It seems that hardly a day goes by that Scotland takes one step closer to Independence Day.\u00a0 History will see the Edinburgh Agreement as hugely significant in determining our country\u2019s future. Tuesday 5th of February saw the launch of the Scottish Government\u2019s proposals for \u201cThe transition to an independent Scotland\u201d.\u00a0 Of course this comes hot on the heels of the Electoral Commission Report \u201cReferendum on Independence for Scotland, Advice of the Electoral Commission on the proposed referendum question.\u201d This has given us the final question, with which many Yes campaigners will be as content as am I.<\/p>\n
\u2018Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes\/No\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Surprisingly, however, the Electoral Commission made further recommendations to both the UK and Scottish Governments urging them to reach agreement on a joint statement which will clarify what the process will be following the referendum. This should offer sufficient detail to inform people what will happen in the event of both a Yes or a No vote.<\/p>\n This is very welcome and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon immediately accepted the recommendations of the Electoral Commission in full:<\/p>\n “I am particularly delighted with the conclusion the Electoral Commission has reached on the question. While the Commission\u2019s view is that our proposed question was clear, simple and easy to understand, I am nevertheless happy to accept their recommended change. I am also pleased with the spending limits proposed by the Electoral Commission – they deliver a level playing field and will allow a fair and balanced debate on both sides.”<\/p>\n George Orwell once said \u201cAll political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome.<\/a> \u201c Topical Question on Electoral Commission (Referendum Recommendations) 2. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will accept in full the recommendations of the Electoral Commission regarding the conduct of a referendum on Scotland separating from the rest of the United Kingdom. (S4T-00231) So, one might imagine that having called for full and unconditional support of the recommendations the Better Together parties would be ready, willing and able to act on the Electoral Commission\u2019s recommendation that the Scottish and UK governments\u00a0 agree a \u201cjoint position\u201d before the referendum, whether it is a Yes or No vote.<\/p>\n Not so!\u00a0 David Cameron has made it quite clear that he is \u201cnot for talking\u201d.<\/p>\n As SNP MSP Bruce Crawford \u2013 who chairs the Referendum Bill Committee \u2013\u00a0said:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a landmark recommendation by the Electoral Commission \u2013 which they base on the Edinburgh Agreement \u2013 and one which the UK Government must immediately commit to.\u00a0 The Tory-led government at Westminster and the No campaign have said time and again that the Electoral Commission recommendations must be implemented in full \u2013 therefore they must abandon their obstructionist stance of rejecting pre-referendum talks to prepare for a possible Yes result, in line with the Commission\u2019s recommendation.\u201d<\/p>\n Which brings me back to our latest historic day – 5th February 2013 and the publication of \u201cThe transition to an Independent Scotland\u201d.\u00a0 This is the Scottish Government\u2019s pathway to establishing a constitutional platform for an Independent Scotland. Everything is there: timetable, co-operative transition, a written constitution and the Electoral Commission itself gives clear support to our approach of making clear to the voters of Scotland what the path to Independence will look like.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time for the nay sayers to step up \u2013 if they can!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My last piece for the Flag in the Wind I expressed my outrage at the speech by Joanne Lamont about \u201cThe Something for nothing Society\u201d.\u00a0 You will recall Labour calling for a debate on universal services.\u00a0 In December this year the Jimmy Reid Foundation published a report on the \u201cThe Case for Universalism\u201d.\u00a0 I lodged a motion the same week, seeking a Member\u2019s debate on the motion (the text of which is below).\u00a0 Sorry for the necessary technical minutia, but prior to the formation of the Independent \/ Green group the support of one Political Group, in addition to the proposer\u2019s, secured the Member\u2019s debate. However, the formation of the Independent \/ Green technical Group meant that for a debate to be secured two additional member groups needed to show support.\u00a0 This was missed and the Debate appeared scheduled in the Parliamentary Bulletin.\u00a0 There was significant interest in the debate not least from the Jimmy Reid Foundation but also Trade Union representatives.\u00a0 What happens next is almost beyond comprehension!\u00a0 Having spotted the mistake the Labour Party lodged a complaint.\u00a0 They had three options.<\/p>\n It will come as no surprise that Labour killed the debate.\u00a0 As someone brought up in the traditional Lanarkshire Labour values and fully supporting the trade union movement I can think of absolutely no justification for the Labour Group at Holyrood to find themselves unable to support a motion about universal services \u2013 one of the founding principles of the Labour movement.\u00a0 I have written to the three main Party Leaders seeking their support.\u00a0 To date only the Conservatives have replied, politely declining.\u00a0 Form Labour? Deafening silence.\u00a0 I would urge you to ask any Labour supporting friends, family and colleagues why a Labour Group finds itself unable to support the motion below. And then ask if Labour has any credibility left when it comes to Social Justice and principle?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Motion S4M-05102: Clare Adamson, Central Scotland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 04\/12\/2012<\/strong><\/p>\n The Case for Universalism, the Jimmy Reid Foundation Report <\/strong><\/p>\n That the Parliament congratulates the Jimmy Reid Foundation on the formulation and publication of what it considers its recent incisive report examining the evidence of the impact of universal public services; understands that the report\u2019s overriding conclusion is that the group that will be most affected if universalism is rolled back is poor people; notes further the report\u2019s finding that moving from universal to targeted services creates \u201cstigma, reduces take-up rates, causes enormous increases in administrative costs and eventually leads to less public support for services which in turn leads to significant decline in the quality of those services\u201d; welcomes the report\u2019s conclusion that universalism is also highly efficient in avoiding error and fraud; further welcomes what it considers the report\u2019s challenging finding that \u201cthere is a well-documented \u2018paradox of redistribution\u2019 which shows that the best way to benefit low-income groups is to not target benefits at them but at the wider population”; notes the report\u2019s conclusion that historical and contemporary evidence \u201cstrongly suggest\u201d that increased universal provision is an appropriate response to austerity, which would stimulate economic activity and improve both government and wider economic efficiency; believes that universal benefits have greatly helped the people of Central Scotland and the rest of the country, and commends the report and its conclusions to all those with responsibility for formulating and implementing social policy in Scotland.<\/p>\n Supported by: Annabelle Ewing, Richard Lyle, John Finnie, Christina McKelvie, Bill Kidd, David Torrance, Dennis Robertson, Mike MacKenzie, Brian Adam, Stuart McMillan, Marco Biagi, Patrick Harvie, Dave Thompson, Colin Beattie, Adam Ingram, John Mason, Nigel Don, Jean Urquhart, Jamie Hepburn, Bruce Crawford, Kevin Stewart, Roderick Campbell, Gil Paterson, Christine Grahame, Linda Fabiani, Angus MacDonald, Colin Keir, Aileen McLeod, Maureen Watt It seems that hardly a day goes by that Scotland takes one step closer to Independence Day.\u00a0 History will see the Edinburgh Agreement as hugely significant in determining our country\u2019s future. Tuesday 5th of February saw the launch of the Scottish Government\u2019s proposals for \u201cThe transition to an independent Scotland\u201d.\u00a0 Of course this comes hot on the heels of the Electoral Commission Report \u201cReferendum on Independence for Scotland, Advice of the Electoral Commission on the proposed referendum question.\u201d This has given us the final question, with which many Yes campaigners will be as content as am I. \u2018Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes\/No\u2019 Surprisingly,Read More →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=682"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":683,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions\/683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI wonder if the Better Together Politicians in the Parliament regret their posturing prior to publication of the Electoral Commission\u2019s Recommendations. Did their natural visceral antipathy to the SNP cloud their vision and lead them to expect the SNP to reject the Commission\u2019s findings and in doing so tie themselves in knots?\u00a0 This exchange in the Chamber at Topical Questions on the 29th<\/sup> of January, before publication, makes interesting reading:<\/p>\n
\nPatricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Lab):<\/p>\n
\nThe Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities (Nicola Sturgeon):\u00a0The Electoral Commission submitted extensive comments in response to our consultation on the conduct of the referendum last year, and Scottish Government officials have been in regular contact with it on the development of detailed arrangements since then. As with referendums that are held under United Kingdom legislation, it is for the Government to propose the referendum question, the Electoral Commission to test that question and the Parliament to make a final decision. The Scottish Government will consider the wording of the question and, indeed, other matters relating to the conduct of the referendum in light of the Commission\u2019s advice. Of course, the Scottish Parliament will have the final say during its scrutiny of the referendum legislation.
\nPatricia Ferguson:\u00a0I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer, but I am disappointed to note that even now, with the publication of the Electoral Commission\u2019s advice imminent and with a growing clamour of voices\u2014including that of Blair Jenkins, the head of her own campaign organisation\u2014calling on the Scottish Government to commit to accepting the advice and recommendations that will be made, she cannot bring herself to reassure the chamber that her belief in independence extends to independent scrutiny. I ask her again whether, to ensure that the referendum is carried out in a fair and proper manner, she will accept all the Electoral Commission recommendations.<\/p>\nJust how far have Labour fallen?<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n
\nCurrent Status: Eligible for Members\u2019 Business, Pending Cross Party Support<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"