Current Situation in Scotland - Coursework Example

Scotland Introduction Scotland is a country within the United Kingdom with a long-standing and illustrious history. The country has constitutional monarchy with a number of broad ranging social, cultural, political and economic concerns. In terms of prominent current events, the country has undergone a number of low carbon initiatives and recently the power company SSE and Shell combined forces to establish a low carbon plant at Peterhead near Aberdeen. The Scottish Tories party is currently on the verge of electing a new leader, replacing Annabel Goldie with Murdo Fraser ("Scottish politics," 2011). Notably the Scottish Conservatives have recently elected a gay leader, Ruth Davidson ("Scottish politics," 2011). There are a large variety of consistent concerns in the country, with perhaps the most prominent consistent questions regarding a referendum that if enacted would remove Scotland from the United Kingdom ("Scottish politics," 2011). In examining Scotland in further detail this report investigates specific areas of the country’s economy, culture, and government. Economy The economy is Scotland is understood to be closely linked with the United Kingdom and surrounding areas. Scotland emerged as a prominent economic power following the Industrial Revolution when the country’s manufacturing and production industries emerged and flourished. Today the country has a wide variety of economic activity, perhaps most prominently textiles, whisky, aeroengines, buses, and computer software. While in recent years the Scottish economy has declined in terms of manufacturing this is indicative of the broader economic progress among advanced industrialized regions. In addition, the decline in manufacturing has been accompanied by a steady increase in the service industry. In terms of currency the country is not a Eurozone member state and continues to use the British Pound Sterling as its official currency ("Central intelligence agency," 2011). In terms of Gross Domestic Product the latest figure for the country was at £131,163 million ("Central intelligence agency," 2011). The country’s unemployment rate is at 2.1%. In terms of the encouragement of entrepreneurship the country is largely in-support of free trade and has been noted to actively participate in the Single Market and Free Trade Area ("Central intelligence agency," 2011). These organizations are designed to encourage entrepreneurship and free development in Scotland and the larger European Union. In terms of the country’s current economic strategy there are a number of prominent considerations. While the country felt the affects of the recent economic recession they have made recovery on par with Europe and the United States. Still they have been aggressive in attempting to institute reforms and economic measures that contribute to the economic recovery. In these regards, the Scottish government has affirmed that they are committed to, “delivering faster sustainable economic growth with opportunities for all to flourish” ("Economic strategy," 2011). Among specific economic initiatives the country is working towards establishing a focus on low carbon manufacturing. The country is working aggressively to increase export production, with a goal of increasing the figure by 50% by 2017. In terms of entrepreneurship and the small business environment the country is decidedly supportive. In these regards, the high technology incubators have been established as a means of fostering this business environment. The Scottish Investment Bank has also been implemented as a means of supporting early stage innovative technology businesses. There are a number of key sectors in the Scottish economy. In these regards the service industry is currently the fastest growing industry in the region. This sector employs nearly 5% of the Scottish workforce, which is approximately 113,160 people (Douglas 2010). Among the prominent service sectors include the banking, investment, insurance and asset servicing, and the tourism service industries. Scottish banking has a long established history that started with the Bank of Scotland in 1695 (Douglas 2010). This bank remains one of the most esteemed banks in the country and indeed throughout Europe. Today there are four major banks in Scotland, accompanying the Bank of Scotland, are the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Clydesdale Bank, and Lloyds TSB Scotland (Douglas 2010). The tourism industry constitutes nearly 3% of the country’s economic output. There are a variety of tourist destinations throughout Scotland. The country’s rich history remains one of the prominent draws from individuals within Europe and the United States; indeed, the United States constitutes the predominant international tourist region. In addition to the country’s historical aspects there are considerable mountainous and green regions that draw a significant vacationing public. In addition to the service industry there remains a prominent manufacturing sector powering the Scottish economy. In these regards, the prominent industries include whiskey, electronics, textiles, and construction. As one might expect the country’s major trading partners include the United States as well as intra-European Union trade. Culture Scotland has a long history and richly textured culture. The country is located in the United Kingdom and occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Including the mainland island, the country includes over 790 islands. While the country’s official language is English, Gaelic is a recognized regional language. The country’s population recorded in 2010 was 5,222,100 (Douglas 2010). Scottish is a strongly religious society with a reported 67% of Scottish people being religious, with 28% of the population reporting having no religious affiliation. Within this context of understanding, 98% of the population is Christian (Douglas 2010). In terms of specific sects of Christianity Scotland is greatly informed by Protestant and Reformed theology. In addition to these sects, Roman Catholicism remains prominent in the country, as 18% of the citizens who report having a Christian affiliation are Roman Catholic. In terms of business protocol the country exhibits a very similar business structure to the rest of Europe and the United States. In these regards, formal dress and punctuality are prominent signs of respect and protocol. Handshakes are general forms of hello and goodbye. Considering protocol that is unique to Scotland includes the understanding that personal questions are not encouraged as the Scottish people demonstrate a strong level of privacy ("Uk/ great britain," 2011). Business communication in the region has also been characterized what is referred to as the stuff upper lip. Namely, this is the notion that many individuals in the region may appear stolid and overly formal. In addition superlatives are generally not used and individuals may not appear overly animated when they speak ("Uk/ great britain," 2011). There are a wide variety of Scottish holidays. In addition to the major observed Christian holidays including Christmas and Easter, there are a number of regional holidays. Among some of the most prominent of these holidays include Hogmanay, which is the Scottish New Year’s Eve; this occurs on December 31st. Among smaller Scottish but recognized Scottish holiday’s include Burns’ birthday. This holiday celebrates the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns and is celebrated on January 25th. February 1st is the Imbolc holiday that celebrates a Celtic goddess who was later celebrated as a Christian Saint ("Scottish holidays," 2011). May 24th is Empire Day; this holiday celebrates the birth of Queen Victoria ("Scottish holidays," 2011). There are a variety of other cultural elements that are essential to understanding Scottish society. One of the prominent such considerations is Scotland’s interests in sports. In addition to being heavily interested soccer, competing in the World Cup events, the country is also heavily linked to golf. In these regards they are credited as being the home for the birthplace of golf and the country contains a wide variety of seminal golf courses. Including soccer and golf the country participates in the Highland Games, as well as being prominently interested in curling and shinty. Another prominent cultural consideration regarding Scotland is food and drink consumption. The country has a long-history of whiskey production and consumption. In terms of food the country is partial to traditional dishes such as haggis, salmon, venison, cranachan, bannock, Scotch Broth and shortbread. Another notable element regarding Scottish culture is media production. While Scotland shares considerable similarities to the rest of the United Kingdom in many regions they are particularly distinct in terms of media. In these regards, the country has a wide variety of national newspapers including the Daily Herald, the Herald, and the Scotsman. There are also a strong variety of Sunday newspapers. In addition to newspaper production the company has a wide variety of Scottish television. There is a specific line of BBC Scottish programming, including the BBC Radio Scotland, and the BBC Radio nan Gaideal. Independent television stations include STV and LTV1. While television stations in Scotland are generally broadcast in English there are a variety of stations broadcast in Gaelic, including Tele-G and BBC Alba. Government Scotland has a long and illustrious history with the country emerging as a sovereign state during the Middle Ages and continuing until 1707. In 1707 the country entered into a union with England and Ireland in the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Still, the country’s legal system remains distinct from these regions and remains distinct jurisdiction in public and in private laws. The country’s government is in-part intertwined with the United Kingdom. In these regards, the country’s head of state is the U.K. monarch Queen Elizabeth. Scotland has a partial self-government as well as representation in the United Kingdom Parliament. In terms of executive and legislative powers the country implements the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament, both of which are located in Holyrood in Edinburgh. Still, the United Kingdom retains control over a number of specific entities within the country; among these entities include United Kingdom taxes, social security, defense, international relations and broadcasting. Conversely, the Scottish Parliament retains control over all aspects intrinsic to Scotland. The Scottish government itself was established in 1999 (Douglas 2010). It is the executive arm of the former government of Scotland. The Scottish Government has jurisdiction over all matters that are not directly given to the United Kingdom government. Among the powers relegated to the Scottish Government include education, justice and policing, rural affairs, economic development and transport (Douglas 2010). In terms of governmental structure, the government is led by the First Minister. The First Minister is nominated by the Scottish Parliament and then the choice is affirmed by the Queen (Douglas 2010). The First Minister has a Cabinet of Secretaries. These individuals are appointed by the First Minister and then affirmed by the Scottish Parliament. In addition to these Cabinet members, the Scottish Law Officers, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General are all appointed outside of Parliament, but must be approved by the Scottish Parliament (Douglas 2010). The Scottish Cabinet generally meets on Tuesday afternoon and constitutes the major operating body of Scotland. In terms of further organization the Cabinet is divided into sub-committees. These sub-committees include the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation, the Scottish Government Resilience Room Cabinet Sub-Committee, and the Glasgow 2014 Legacy Plan Delivery Group (Douglas 2010). These Sub-Committees have a variety of functions. Issues that are introduced into the Scottish Parliament are passed to the sub-committees for further consideration. During their time in these sub-committees the Cabinet members break the issues down and debate them over a variety of economic, political, and statewide concerns. Ultimately if these measures pass initial examination they are then passed back to the Scottish Parliament for vote in addition to consideration by the First Minister. Conclusion In conclusion, this report has examined the country of Scotland. While the country has been a part of the United Kingdom since 1707, the region has an illustrious history dating back to the Middle Ages. The government structure is a constitutional monarchy with partial self-governance, as well as governance through the United Kingdom. While the country had a long manufacturing industry, recently this has declined while the service industry has grown. Currently the country is working to develop economic strategies against the recession and the European Debt Crisis. Still, Scotland has maintained relative prosperity, and has aggressively attempted to promote innovation and high technology industries. Ultimately, it’s clear that Scotland is a seminal European country that retains prominence in the United Kingdom and abroad. References Central intelligence agency. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/rankorder/rankorderguide.html Douglas, J. (2010). Scotland. Glasgow Press. Economic strategy. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/EconomicStrategy Scottish holidays. (2011). Retrieved from http://thecapitalscot.com/scottishcalendar.html Scottish politics. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/scotland Uk/ great britain. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/UK.html Douglas, J. (2010). Scotland. Glasgow Press. Read More