The UK is the rare country that acknowledges the possibility of its own division. Great Britain's acquiescence  made Scottish secession possible.  The pathways of Scottish secession have been an insular affair, a function of particularly British law and politics, in which international law played little role. 

This paper discusses Scotland’s relationship with the EU in the context of two different secession events. The first concerns the question of an independent Scotland’s EU membership in the event of Scotland’s secession from the UK. The second discusses the position of Scotland in the context of a UK in-out referendum on EU membership. This chapter concludes that in neither case should Scotland be forced to leave the EU against its will.

The right of the people of Scotland to determine the form of government best suited to their needs has been consistently accepted for decades across the political spectrum, and is powerfully demonstrated by Scotland's recent history.

This book is the first serious study of the likely road to independence, and the consequences for the Scottish people and the Scottish economy. Scottish Independence starts with a detailed guide to the stages along the route to independence and goes on to analyse the legal, political and economic consequences.It asks key question

At a time when the country's future has topped the agenda in Britain and abroad, this book unpicks the complex weave of Scottish politics, society and culture, providing an essential insight into Scotland's present - and its future.

An influential separatist Scottish nationalism began to take shape only in the 1970s and achieved its present ideological maturity in the course of the 1980s and 1990s. The nationalism that emerged from this testing period of Scottish history was unusual in that it demanded independence not to defend a threatened ancestral culture but as the most effective way to promote the agenda of the left. 

While both Scotland and Catalonia’s independence movements have not been successful thus far, it will be interesting to see which economic, political, or social factors may prompt either of these nations to succeed in their independence movements or perhaps lead them to determine that independence may no longer need to be sought.

• Research means to become independent which will be legally recognized other than through a Westminster sanctioned referendum

• Continue to develop a written constitution.

• Hold a broad survey among Scots to determine what kind of country they would like to see

"We’re not aligned to any one political party but believe in self-determination for Scotland. Only then will a country disfigured by poverty and inequality be re-born. Only independence can bring democracy. The British State is irredeemable and is structurally corrupt, broken and riven with hierarchy."

"We make the case for maximum devolution of power and responsibility possible at any time, particularly in areas such as the economic levers and business policies. In turn, this will allow a Scottish Government to boost economic growth."

"We target undecided and soft No voters with positive independence messages"

Scottish politics dissected from a left, pro-independence stance. Each week, award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Lesley Riddoch chews over the week’s news with former media lecturer and Dundee United fan, Pat Joyce. If you like intelligent, quirky chat about Scottish society and culture, and Scottish, UK and international politics analysed from a Scottish perspective; this podcast is for you.

This week, Craig Dalzell is joined by Ellen Dalzell to discuss the Demographics of Independence. Ellen has campaigned for several years both for “New Scots” to be included in Scotland’s democracy both through being able to vote – which they now can – but also for them to be better included in data that informs democratic campaigning. They discuss the current weaknesses in the data we have and how that has given rise to misconceptions about the voting intentions of New Scots.

Common Weal believes in Scottish independence – but we believe it is essential to get it right. It’s not enough to tell people independence would be ‘good for them’, you have to explain how it would be done and be ready to answer your questions.

A review of the economic and political circumstances around a second independence referendum.

This is a largely factual explainer by the Institute for Government of the issues around a referendum and the results of its success.

This is the white paper subtitled: Scotland’s referendum on 18 September 2014 is a choice between two futures.

Much has been said about the Yes campaign, much has been written about its vibrancy and excitement, openness and inclusivity. It was planned to be the biggest grassroots campaign in Scotland’s history, it has been said that it brought new people to politics and represented a departure from the type of campaign seen when political parties fight for our vote. Yes was said to have been positive and Better Together was supposed to have been negative.

This paper explores the historical precedents covering how debts and assets are split when states dissolve or become independent and applies those models to the case of Scottish independence.

The White Paper Project is an attempt by Common Weal to explore the methodology, content and structure of a revised White Paper for Scottish independence.