THE 10 countries compared with the UK in the first indyref2 white paper could provide other lessons for the case for Scottish independence.
In "Why Not Scotland?", the first blueprint ahead of Scotland’s second independence referendum due to be held in October 2023, the UK’s performance was rated against Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Norway and Iceland.
The 70-page document, launched by the First Minister on Tuesday, set out a variety of indicators from wealth and poverty levels to productivity amongst economies and other factors such as the gender pay gap.
But what else can the independence movement learn from our neighbours and how to argue for a progressive society which works for everyone?
The National has taken a look into some of the stand-out policy areas from the 10 independent European nations which weren't included in the prospectus.
Education
In Finland, compulsory education doesn’t begin until seven years old. There are no standardised tests until at the end of the senior year of high school, homework is few and far between if at all, and there is no culture of private tuition. Finnish children also spend less time in school than in the UK, and have a longer summer break.
Teachers are also given greater autonomy to help individual students who may be struggling, with 30% of the country's children given some form of extra help during their first nine years of schooling.
Finland has the highest rate of students going into further education in the whole EU. Sweden also does not start compulsory education until age 7, and occasionally until age 8.
Meanwhile, Switzerland has 26 Cantons as part of its federal structure, with each setting its own school calendar, curriculum and criteria.
The interesting difference in Switzerland is that secondary school is split into two by age group: lower and upper.
When it comes to the later stages of high school, students can choose between three options: a vocational school, the preferred choice with access to apprenticeships; baccalaureate schools which teach standard school topics but with the addition of law and economics; and specialised secondary schools for those pursuing careers in health, social work and education.
Work-life balance
In Denmark, striking a work-life balance is embedded in the country’s culture. Staying over the 37 hours in the official working week is discouraged, and most employees leave at around 4pm to pick up their children.
Business largely shuts down in the last weeks of July as Danes take advantage of their five week’s paid holiday leave, and women have better opportunities to pursue a career while balancing family life due to the short working week, flexibility and state-subsidised daycare. Around 72% of Danish women have paid jobs outside the home, above the 59% OECD average.
Meanwhile, Sweden has a well-funded welfare state and only 1% of employees working over 50 hours a week, leading to the country having a high satisfaction rate amongst its residents.
Climate change
One of the big issues facing Scotland is how we reduce the number of miles driven by cars and the emissions they produce. In Denmark, petrol and diesel car sales will be banned by 2030, with the focus on electric vehicles and creating cycling infrastructure.
In 2016, the number of cyclists crossing the city centre in Copenhagen exceeded the number of cars for the first time, with the number of bikes continuing to rise.
In the Netherlands, the administration is creating two funds to tackle climate change: €35 billion for a climate fund over the next 10 years, and a €25 billion nitrogen fund to reduce nitrogen emissions. A large chunk of this cash, also to cover other additional expenses, will be borrowed by the Danish government.
There are also plans to invest in the country’s railways, including overnight connections to other European cities, while keeping costs down for passengers.
Austria has strict environmental regulations on waste management, chemicals and air pollution, as well as for pesticides and fertilisers in agriculture.
The administration has also attached “vital importance” to the safeguarding of its forests, with focus on rehabilitation. With Scotland currently grappling with its emissions targets and biodiversity crisis, there is plenty to learn from our neighbours.
Minimum Wage
In the UK, where employment law is reserved to Westminster, you could expect to bring home just under £1400 per month before tax and deductions on minimum wage.
A number of comparator countries listed (Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Austria) do not have a minimum wage.
However, recently released statistics show that Belgium (£1431), The Netherlands (£1489) and Ireland (£1532) are amongst the six EU countries that pay above €1500 per month (£1294). Luxembourg has the highest minimum wage at €2257 (£1948.39). An independent Scotland could raise the minimum wage to a living wage, or above, and in line with inflation.
Parental leave
Sweden introduced shared parental leave in 1974, and today’s parents can split 480 days between them for each child at 80% of their salaries in these first 390 days with three “use-it-or-lose-it” months allocated to each partner, which has encouraged men to take further leave and share in the caring responsibilities.
In Scotland and the UK, men can still only take two weeks paid leave on the birth of a child if the mother does not want to share her leave. Although shared parental leave is available it is only for 50 weeks (350 days) and uptake is low.
Outside of the comparator countries...
Decriminalisation of drug use
Each year Scotland’s damning drug deaths statistics are revealed, comparisons are made to Portgual and the legal use of safe consumption rooms. Portugal decriminalised drugs in 2000, adopting a public-health approach.
Consumption rooms have been continually ruled out by the UK Government despite numerous calls for them to be allowed in Scotland to provide drug users with a clean, safe place where support and advice can be provided.
It certainly worked in Portugal - with the policy bringing the number of drug-related deaths below the EU average, the number of prisoners sentenced for drugs falling from 40% to 15%, and drug use itself also falling.
Do you think that the independence movement should embrace any of these policies? Can you think of any we haven’t covered that would be useful to our readers?
Comment below and let us know.
