What an amazingly polite way to go about asking for self-determination, only in the United Kingdom!

Today the Scottish Government released a white paper on Scottish Independence. In effect, it is asking for a national debate on three options.

1. Retention of the devolution scheme defined by the Scotland Act 1998, with the possibility of further evolution in powers, extending these individually as occasion arises.
   
2. Redesigning devolution by adopting a specific range of extensions to the current powers of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government, possibly involving fiscal autonomy, but short of progress to full independence.
   
3. Extending the powers of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government to the point of independence.

The current Scottish government prefers the third option. Now there is a gigantic amount of political history behind this, and an even greater mind-numbingly boring amount of economic history behind this desire for economic history. I will be reviewing this paper in greater detail (some of the proposals are extremely cute and smart, very very cute indeed), but thought of bringing this to your attention with some initial comments.

1. Its only in the United Kingdom that you can actually have debates over independence based upon some bureaucratic method!, lol, i was laughing my guts out when I look around the world where people are fighting for self determination and independence using terrorism, revolutions, blood, riots, etc. And what do we do? we write a paper!

2. All the TV channels are full of this white paper, and the main element of debate? Are there furious debates about the historical record? or the atrocities carried out by the English? or digging out old history and pointing fingers? oh! no, I am afraid the debate is stultifying boring and concentrating on what will be the impact on public finances in Scotland if/when it becomes independent. PUBLIC FINANCES? YAWN!

3. Most of the people wont be bothered, and frankly, if you ask me, this is a classic elitist or a small segment of population driver. But I would be curious to learn how they plan to explain this level of public opinion. 31% FOR, a drop of 20% in just 6 months?

4. I would like to draw your attention to another essay which I wrote before. When parties which demand self determination and independence get into government, then the scales drop from people's eyes. Before independence or governing, they are all about just 1 thing, the protest vote, the reform vote, the distancing vote, the independence vote, call it what you may. But when they get into power, they have to deal with the same things, sewers, hospitals, bridges, subsidies, transport, and all the angst which was on the previous government seamlessly transfers over to the new government. Well, the drop in support clearly shows that the populace has got over its conniptions / hissy fits and has managed to see the light.

But fascinating reading! :)

All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!