FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said no country in history has been better prepared to become independent than Scotland.
She made the comment ahead of the Scottish Government publishing its plans for the economy and currency tomorrow as part of its refreshed prospectus on independence.
She said the paper will outline how Scotland will move away from a “stagnating, high-inequality, Brexit-based Westminster economic model” and move towards a “fairer, greener independent economy to help people live happy, healthy, fulfilling lives”.
It will set out proposals on rejoining the European Union for access to the Single Market, a redesigned energy market that will provide “secure and reliable” low-cost energy, and greater workplace security with an end to “age discrimination in minimum wage setting”.
It will also outline a migration policy which is designed to boost the country’s working population.
Proposals for a new fund combined of remaining North Sea oil revenues and borrowing powers to unlock £20 billion of investment during the first decade of independence are also expected to be discussed in greater detail.
Speaking ahead of the publication of the paper, Sturgeon said the debate on independence is not about “change versus status quo”.
She said: “There is no status quo, and Scotland cannot afford to live under Westminster control any longer.”
“In 2014, we were promised stability if we voted no to independence. Instead, we got austerity and Brexit, and are now being taken on a libertarian joy-ride. These are not abstract issues – they are doing real damage to our economy, public services, mortgage costs and pensions.”
She continued: “Tomorrow’s economic prospectus will outline how resource-rich Scotland can match that success with the powers of independence – moving from a stagnating, high-inequality, Brexit-based Westminster economic model and build a modern, dynamic and sustainable economy to help people live happy, healthy, fulfilling lives.
“We can use powers over electricity market design to ensure security of supply and help tackle the climate emergency.
“We can build a European-style labour market policy which values and invests in workers.
“And by rejoining the EU, we will not only be able to travel freely across both the UK and the 27 member states, but it will be easier to attract EU workers to support sectors so badly damaged by Brexit.”
The First Minister said the people of Scotland “deserve a grown-up, honest discussion about their future”.
She added: “I will never pretend that everything about independence is easy, but the potential prize open to us means it is more than worth it – for us and for future generations.
“We must never forget that we already have many of the key institutions that an independent country needs, and coupled with our strong economic foundations and immense potential, probably no country in history has been better-prepared to become independent than Scotland will be.”
The use of oil and gas revenues to boost the economy of an independent Scotland has prompted criticism from climate campaigners, who said it was “environmentally and economically reckless”.
But the plans have been backed by the Scottish Greens, with the party’s co-leader Lorna Slater saying it is clear that oil and gas will be phased out.
She added: “Nobody is suggesting we can or should turn the taps off right away but it is perfectly reasonable for the oil and gas money to be used to fund a just transition.
“That makes perfect sense to me.”
Graeme Blackett, who was the economic adviser to the SNP Growth Commission and is now part of independence project The Bottom Line, said one of the costs of staying in the Union was that an “oil fund” had not already been set up.
“There was that potential to set one up based on oil revenues – but that is history,” he said.
“Where we are now, whilst climate change means we will hopefully be using less fossil fuels in the future, there is still a transition period.
“So there is still a great opportunity to use that fund to invest in future generations and dealing with consequences of things like climate change, and improving economic prospects for the future as well.
“The setting up of the fund is important in its own right, as it addresses that weakness in the UK economy, but it’s also important to consider what it will be used for.”
Blackett said he hoped the paper being unveiled tomorrow would take an “optimistic approach” talking about the opportunities for an independent Scotland rather than something which is defensive and seeks to answer critics.
He added: “A sceptic could look at this and think ‘well, why would we think that Scotland is going to be any better at this than the UK?’ “I think the evidence for thinking that would be the case is that if you look at other small advanced economies that are independent, they tend to have better economic strategies.”
