Should Scotland Be Independent or Not - Coursework Example

SHOULD SCOTLAND BE INDEPENDENT OR NOT ? WHY? By Scotland is a country that is under the United Kingdom. In1707, it entered into a political union with England. As a result, it has to send its representative to parliament in London, which is the British parliament. At Westminster, 59 members serve as representatives of Scottish constituencies as Members of parliament. Some of the issues that they deal with include, but not limited to, social security, the monetary policy, and medical issues. Taylor (2002) argues that they also delve into foreign affairs, the constitution as well as defence issues. All the Scottish affairs are represented by the Secretary of State for Scotland. The leader of the political party heads the Scottish Government. The British monarch is the head of state. On 18th September, 2014, there was a national referendum where the voters were asked to vote Yes or No to the question “Should Scotland be an independent Country? Thus, the essay clearly outlines the reasons as to why Scotland should be an independent country. In the 21st Century, Scotland should be in the forefront because of its renewable sources of energy. Voting for independence would mean that the country would be in a position to run all its affairs. They will not be answerable to a certain party. Decision-making in some of the State’s affairs would be made easily and faster. At the current state, the Scottish government does not make all the decisions about how their country should run. Most of the Scottish decisions are made by the United Kingdom government in London (McCracken 2007, p. 85). If the country becomes independent, all the decisions will be made by the Scottish government. Ideally, voting for independence will mean that Scotland will elect an independent Scottish Parliament, who will represent the needs of the people. The independent government will make all the decisions in regard to taxes and other needs of the people (Gray 2002, p. 71). All the public facilities and services will be made public, that means they will be owned by the people of Scotland and not the private investors. The citizens will decide how the taxpayer’s money will be spent through the elected parliament. Wise decisions which are for the good of the nation such as Scottish taxes will be used to provide better health care and other services instead of the nuclear weapons. Consequently, through independence, Scotland will be more democratic. Democracy makes a country run its affairs effectively, and every citizen feels that he or she is part of the decision-making process (Bruce 2013, p. 89). Democracy also brings people together, fostering unity in the country. If it is independent, the country will be richer. Recently, Scotland paid more taxes than the rest of the parts in the United Kingdom. Through independence, people will pay less taxes and all the decisions about money will be made in Scotland. Distribution of the resources will be equal to all the parts of Scotland. Subsequently, independence will let the citizens build a wealthier economy. More jobs will be created as the private sectors will become public. There will be the creation of a tax system which will work best for the Scotland. The tax collection system will be made easier. The transport system is an important infrastructure in Scotland (Bridges 2002, p. 54). Most of the decisions on infrastructure are made in London. Independence will ensure that Scotland makes their choices for the transport system which they prefer. Thus, there will be an improvement of the transport system in Scotland. Additionally, children are the future leaders and stakeholders in the country. Investing in children means that, the country will become better in the future. Currently, parents in Scotland pay high costs for the childrens services. With independence, they will get a chance to make childcare services cheaper. There will also be reduction in school fees for children. Children from poorer families do not get an opportunity to obtain quality education because of the high cost. Independence will reduce the gap between the poor and the rich. The higher education will be free as a result of independence (Bailey 2014, p.63). Moreover, the aged in the society should be taken good care of. They should leave a better life because they have worked for years developing the country. Through independence, the pensioners will get their pensions in full and on time. They will not go through a long process to obtain their pensions. All government workers will have a private pension(Bulmer 2013, p.63). Scotland should have a welfare system that supports people who work. Some of the unfair United Kingdom charges will be done away with, such as the bedroom tax and also make sure that the tax credits and the benefits get up to the right level. Furthermore, health care is an important part of a nation. When the country attains its independence, there will be high-quality social care. The country will work towards a fairer society with equal opportunities for better health care. Through independence, the country will have a strong partnership with other countries. The country will have a position in the world, and it will work closely with the rest of the world. The independent Scotland will be a member of the European Union. Scotland will be part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (Mclean, Gallagher & Lodge 2013, p.54). They will also get the armed forces that they need to obtain and sustain peace in the country. Moreover, the people around the nation understand the state of their country. Thu, decisions regarding law and order should be done fast within the state. After independence, the country will come up with a way to deal with criminal issues at their grassroots. That means identifying the causes of the crime and dealing with them (Saville 2006, p.80). Poorer communities should feel more secure and safer. That will call for a national security system that will meet the Scotland’s needs. There will be a need security and intelligence organization which will be in charge Scotland security. Furthermore, the Scotland needs a new immigration system which will meet the needs of the Scotland people. The United Kingdom migration system does not work appropriately for Scotland. For instance, the UK migration system did away with the student visas(Hallwood& Macdonald 2009,p.41). That means that more talented people are restricted from entering into Scotland. When the country attains its independence, it will come up with a system that will bring in more people from all around the world to have their education in Scotland. Independence will allow more people to become Scottish citizens. The British citizens who live in Scotland will automatically become Scottish citizens. Additionally, if a person is born in Scotland but leaves outside Scotland, they will have a right to become Scotland citizens. Other people from other states can also apply for Scottish citizenship. Acquisition of passports for the Scottish citizens will also be made easier (Bailey 2014, p. 74). Farmers in Scotland will also get support from the government. They need to increase their production to ensure that they fed the nation as required. An independent Scotland will protect the rights of the farmers, including the rights of the fishermen. Evidently, Scotland is an energy-rich country. The country has a lot of the renewable sources of energy such as the wave and the wind power. Additionally, it has the largest amount of oil in the European Union. If Scotland gains its independence, the money made from gas and oil can be used to support the public services. The energy bills will be cheaper with the acquisition of independence. Through independence, there will be cultural reawakening. There will be formation of non-party movements to support Scotland culture. Scotland will ensure that it puts more energy into their arts to sustain themselves in heritage. There will be creation of a good reputation in their culture all around the world (Martin 2009, p.96). Additionally, the broadcasting sector is an important part of every country. Through broadcasting, people will know what is happening in their nation. The broadcast sector will be state-centered on the independence of the Scottish Broadcasting Service. The country will still have all the commercial channels that it has. They will also obtain good partnership with the BBC, and there will be BBC programs in Scotland. Importantly, there will be a written constitution that sets the rules of the state. The constitution will have a well-laid rules and regulation on how the country should run. There will also be rights of the citizens in the constitution. Scotland people will have a chance to make their constitution. In conclusion, Scotland’s independence will make the country a better place. The country will make all the decisions in all the sectors of their country as addressed above. Scotland will also be open to the rest of the world. It will be and equal and fill member of the international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union. The Scottish embassies will also establish themselves globally. There will also be democracy, and people will get involved in most of the affairs of the state. Lastly, the Queen will automatically become the head of state. Bibliography Bailey, A. 2014, The implications of Scottish independence on business; higher education and research; and postal services. London, Stationery Office. Bridges, J. 2002,View of the political state of Scotland at Michaelmas 1811, comprehending the rolls of the freeholders ... and a state of the votes at the last elections throughout Scotland. Edinburgh, Hill. Bruce, M. 2013,Implications for development in the event of Scotland becoming an independent country: sixth report of session 2013-14. Vol. 1, Vol. 1. London, Stationery Office. Bulmer, W. E. 2013, A Model Constitution for Scotland Making Democracy Work in an Independent State. New York, Luath Press Ltd. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1336729. Gray, A. 2002,Why Scots should rule Scotland. Edinburgh, Canongate Press. 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