Electric Scotland is
a huge data base of Scotland Past and Present. Now we want to
consider Scotland’s Future.
Scotland has a unique
opportunity in 2014 to decide whether to remain part of the United
Kingdom – or to opt out. We all know what staying in means, but what
might life be like in a post independence Scotland?
The character of a
Nation is often identified by its leadership, but leaders come and
go. The policies of its government are more durable and define its
ethos and identity. Historically these policies are determined by
party politicians and civil servants and the elector’s role is
limited to visiting the polls every four or five years to choose
between the manifestos on offer. The weakness is that politicians
usually win their ministerial posts as a reward for party loyalty
rather than any practical experience of their charges.
Here, in a series of
forums, we invite everyone interested in Scotland’s future to
participate in drafting the policies for an independent Scotland.
Each area of government policy will have a forum with an
introduction, an initial brief and a proposal to initiate the debate
among members of the community.
Each forum will deal
with one policy area and have a dedicated Manager having specialised
experience and there will be provision for various forms of opinion
sampling before settling upon a form of words which represents the
final policy statement. In short select your field of interest and
expertise and have your say.
We invite
applications for managers of these forums that have a credible
background in the forum of their choice. We will need a CV that we
can publish on the site so that participants get to know you.
To participate in the
forums you do need to be a member of our community which is of
course free and is a simple application process. Where you have a
Facebook account you can use that to create your account. Having
become a member we'd suggest that you take time to edit your
personal profile so that fellow members get to know a little about
yourself. Within your personal profile you can use your "User Notes"
to add your background.
Scotland's Future
The list of forums
we would like to create are:
Forum - Manager
General Messages -
Alastair McIntyre
This is a forum for general messages that don't
particularly fit in to our other forums or where you
don't know where to post your message.
Health &
Wellbeing
Description: The NHS, Drug & Alcohol,
Research, Big Pharma, Interface with
Professional bodies,, standards of service.
adequacy of hospitals and facilities: Sport.
Innovation & Research
Description: Relationship between State &
Universities, commerce and industry.
Enterprise
Description: Economic Development,
Sustainability. Employment, Trade & Consumer
issues, Tourism,
Sub forum: Energy
Description; ensuring the provision of
adequate energy resources; overseeing the oil
and gas industry, optimising sustainable energy
sources - wind, sea and hydro.
Local Government and Planning
Description: Boundaries & Unitary
Authorities, Scope, powers, & Devolution.
Publicly owned utilities. Housing
Transport & Communications.
Description: Road, Rail and Aviation networks
infrastructure & supporting facilities.. Port
Authorities, Maritime standards, Vehicle &
Driver licensing,
Education
Description: Supportive environment for all
schools, learning establishments; review
relationship of Local Authorities with schools.
Sub forum for Culture
Description: Responsible for Historic
Scotland and encouraging Culture and the Arts
both in performance and in the provision of
appropriate learning at school level and beyond
by the provision of premises and public
facilities.
Social Services
Description: Setting, managing and enforcing
basic standards of care for all.
Sub forum: Pensions and Benefits Agency
Description: Setting qualifications and
adequate levels of financially compensating the
disadvantaged. Responsibility for monitoring
standards of private pensions and annuities.
Rural Affairs
Description:: Setting standards to encourage and
enhance increased domestic agricultural,
horticultural and commercial fishing activities.
Sub forum The Environment
Description: Agencies such as SEPA and arranging
the decontamination of Douneray, Faslane,
Dalgetty Bay, Rosyth. Long term forecasting of
climate change.
The Treasury & Office of Budgetary
Responsibility
Description: The finance ministry -
assembling the Budget and the setting the
balancing level of taxation required; deciding
the nature of the taxation regime. Note – this
is balancing the revenue account not the Capital
Investment requirements (see Monetary Policy).
Monetary Policy -
Ronald F.
Morrison
Description: Responsible for the Central
Bank, Banking Regulation, the National Currency
and the Balance of Payments.
Sub forum Constitutional Monetary Authority
Description: Forms part of the Constitution
and as such not directly under the control of
everyday government. It liaises between
Government departments to consider capital
investment proposals and is governed by the
availability of human and natural resources in
approving or rejecting departmental
applications.
Foreign Policy
Description: Responsible for embassies and
the diplomatic corps, participation in the UN
and international forums and agencies and the
maintenance of relations with other governments.
Defence
Description: Deciding upon the
responsibilities of the Armed Forces, their
scope and deployment.
The Office of the Constitution and Head of
State
Description: These offices are not within
the gift of everyday government. Responsible
primarily to the electorate via the Head of
State for defending the Constitution. Also
incorporates The Supreme Court, the Judiciary
and the Constitutional Monetary Authority.
Home Office
Description: Overall responsibility for the
Police and Courts of Justice, public standards
and immigration. Conduct of elections and
referenda.
Post independence integration
Description: A short term function drawing
upon all other ministries to oversee and
negotiate the transfer of assets and liabilities
upon Independence. Defining & apportioning
these, Decision centre for future nuclear policy
in power generation and defence. Maintaining
amicable relationships during the process.
Diaspora
Views -
Alastair McIntyre
Description: A forum to provide an
opportunity for input from non-residents not
eligible to vote within the community forums.
Non-residents may participate in all forums but
will be identified as non-voting members by the
flag displayed in their profile. This simply
means that Scots who are eligible to vote in the
referendum should select the Scottish Flag
during the application process. All others
should select the country flag where they
reside.
