Independence

The Independence Referendum of 2014: Issues and Outcome

Author / Creator: Michael Keating

Media type: Book

Date published: 2020

An analysis of the issues of the 2014 independence referendum.


The Independence Question

Author / Creator: Coree Brown Swan

Media type: Book

Date published: 2020

The meaning of "independence" in the 2014 referendum was multifaceted. Its meaning has changed since then.


Westminster lies about independence and how to disprove them

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Date published: 2021

Here are the Unionist arguments against independence … and how to demolish them


How the argument for Yes and UK intransigence are changing minds

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Media type: Article

Date published: 2021

Disillusionment with the UK and the disastrous effects of Brexit are driving a series of high-profile expressions of support for Scotland’s independence.


George Monbiot: Independent Scotland could show a way out of climate crisis

Author / Creator: Spowart, Nan

Media type: newspaper article

Date published:

George Monbiot interview highlights the need for mass mobilisation to combat climate change. The 2014 Scottish Independence movement provides a good example of how to create a mass movement in the 21st century.


200 No to Yes voters tell us why they now believe in Scotland

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Media type: Opinion poll

Date published:

A survey of 200 people who changed from "no" to "yes" showed multiple reasons.  The main ones were:

  • The effect of Brexit
  • UK government incompetence
  • Better Together lied
  • Had come to have more belief in Scotland
  • Felt NHS was not safe as part of the Union


What are the cost implications of setting up an independent Scotland?

Author / Creator: Common Weal

Media type: Briefing paper

Date published: 2021

Initial debts will be a matter of negotiation with the UK government.  The set up costs are estimated at £25 billion of which £15 billion will be offset as a share of assets being transferred. 


How would Scotland become independent

Author / Creator: Common Weal

Media type: Briefing paper

Date published: 2021

Scotland needs a "legal personality". It is usually accepted that membership of the United Nations is the best indicator of Nationhood. The key is a recognition agreement with the UK.


Scottish independence: could wind power Scotland back into the EU?

Author / Creator: Piotr Marek Jaworski

Media type: News Media

Date published:

Scotland’s competitive advantage in green energy ought to be an important part of the economic case for independence when the second referendum takes place.


Strength in Union: The Case for the United Kingdom

Author / Creator: Alister Jack

Media type: Collection of essays by a Conservative Think Tank

Date published: September 2021

Is Scotland a Nation or a Region. MP David Cameron called Scotland a Nation in September 2014 in the run up to the Referendum. In 2021, Alister Jack, Secretary of State for Scotland, refers to Scotland as a region.


Must Scots settle for cronyism and incompetence? Open Minds on Independence #21

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Media type: News Media

Date published:

Scotland's ambition does not end with winning independence. That is just the start. It offers us the freedom to create the country we want to live in. The issues we should prioritise include: 


Busting the last of the myths around independence. Open Minds on Independence #20

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Media type: News Media

Date published:

This article looks at myths about Scottish independence.

MYTH 7: Nationalism is by its very nature a bad thing

MYTH 8: An independent Scotland would be last in the queue to join the EU

Myth 9: You can’t hold a referendum without Westminster’s “permission”

Myth 10: Independence for Scotland would abandon the rest of the UK to permanent Tory rule


Busting the old Unionist anti-indy myths. Open minds on Scottish independence #19

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Media type: News Media

Date published:

This article looks at three myths about Scottish independence:

Myth 4: Business leaders are worried about the effects of independence.

Myth 5: A new Scottish currency would be difficult to establish

Myth 6: independence would threaten pensions


This is why the Westminster myths about independence are wrong. Open minds on independence #18

Author / Creator: Believe in Scotland

Media type: News Media

Date published:

This looks at three myths about Scottish independence:

MYTH 1: You'll have had your referendum.

MYTH 2: Scotland has a huge deficit because we spend too much on public services. 

MYTH 3: The costs of establishing Scotland as an independent country will be huge. 


Scottish independence: what would it mean for the rest of the UK?

Author / Creator: Philip Rycroft

Media type: Article

Date published:

What sort of country would England be without Scotland and Northern Ireland be? That is perhaps the biggest question of them all and one worth asking before indifference south of the border becomes the handmaiden to nationalist seduction to its north.


Getting ahead of the curve What next for Scotland and the Union?

Author / Creator: ALUN EVANS

Media type: Lecture

Date published:

Alun Evans (formerly at the Scottish Office making the case for the Union) focuses on the hurly-burly of the 2014 referendum campaign, and his own suggestions for securing a long-term future for the Union.  His solutions - full tax devolution, spending, domestic policy, and energy policy.  Agreement on shared responsibilities, continuation of the monarchy, monetary policy set by UK, defence and foreign policy set by UK.  [The expanded devolution that was promised but neve delivered]


Scotland, Brexit and Broken Promise of Democracy

Author / Creator: Klaus Stolz

Date published:

The perception of a democratic deficit began in the Thatcher premiership, long before Brexit. Scottish self government came to be positively linked with European intergation.


Brexit and Territorial Preferences: Evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland

Author / Creator: Lesley-Ann Daniels

Media type: Academic Paper

Date published:

The harder the border with EU, the more popular support in Scotland's independence is indicated. It follows the sentiment toward the EU closely.  In Northern Ireland the support for unification follows religious lines.


Brexit and the Scottish Question

Author / Creator: Sionaidh Douglas-Scott

Media type: Academic Paper

Date published:

The 2016 Scottish vote for remaining in the EU received no consideration by the UK government for possible special arrangements.  The prospect of a new independence referendum gains credibility as the constitutional convention on consultation was considered irrelevant by the UK government.


Scottish independence would be 2-3 times more costly than Brexit, and rejoining the EU won’t make up the difference

Author / Creator: Hanwei Huang

Media type: Blog

Date published:

Scottish independence would be 2-3 times more costly than Brexit over 15 years. Rejoining the EU wwll make up part of the difference in trade value.  This made headline news for a time.  The methodology for this prediction has been questioned.