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.

GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland) 2015/16 reported Scotland’s fiscal deficit to be in the region of £14 billion per year, portraying Scotland as the country experiencing some of the most challenging financial circumstances in Europe.

However, this study must be viewed firmly in the light of Scotland being a member nation of the United Kingdom and, as such, any attempt to use them to project the finances of an independent Scotland must be treated with caution and qualification.

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.

Gordon Morgan examines the IT Systems requirements for an independent Scotland in this White Paper Project report.

This paper is intended to provide an overview of the following aspects of a Scottish Defence & Security Strategy:

• What is meant by ‘Scottish national security’
• What threats it would be required to address
• What framework it would operate under
• How Scottish foreign policy would impact it
• What institutions would implement it

The intent of this paper is not to serve as a finalised strategy but instead to provide a basis for further discussion and development.

This paper discusses the principles on which an independent Scotland should found the writing of a formal constitution as well as the method by which such a constitution could be determined by the people of Scotland via citizens’ assemblies and a referendum.

An example constitution for Scotland is included for the purposes of opening such a discussion.

The constitutional question over Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom was not resolved by the results of the 2014 independence referendum. In addition to the ongoing debate around independence at least two political parties – the Liberal Democrats and Scottish Labour – currently support constitutional reform for the whole of the UK along some kind of Federal structure.

This paper examines the case for federalism and outlines the challenges and barriers to reform of the UK in this manner.

A campaign strategy that will apply maximum pressure on the Westminster Government and achieve independence within three years of its commencement.