Instalment 16 in the "Journey to Yes" series interviews Professor Richard Murphy, former Chartered Accountant and Professor of Practice in International Political Economy at the City University of London.
He describes in detail the essential ground rules required for a successful Independence Campaign. He recognises the unique position Scotland occupies as a legitimate state within the UK and highlights the considerable benefits that would come with full independence.
The Flag of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: bratach na h-Alba; Scots: Banner o Scotland), also known as St Andrew's Cross or the Saltire, is the national flag of Scotland.
As the national flag, the Saltire, rather than the Royal Standard of Scotland (also known as the Lion Rampant), is the correct flag for all individuals and corporate bodies to fly. It is also, where possible, flown from Scottish Government buildings every day from 8am until sunset, with certain exceptions.
Legend has it that the flag, the oldest in Europe and the Commonwealth, originated in a battle fought close by the East Lothian village of Athelstaneford. The date of this conflict is believed to have been 832A.D., almost 1,200 years ago.
All you need to know about the Scottish Local Election voting system.
There are currently 32 Regional Authorities, also known as Local Councils. Every 5 years, we elect our representatives (Councillors) to these Councils by the Single Transferable Vote System (STV). The STV system is designed to reflect the order of preference Voters place on the Candidates who stand for election.
This is a system that is designed to allow more than one Candidate to be elected in a fair and representative way. Behind the scenes (at the counting stage) the process can become increasingly complex - but as far as the Voter is concerned, casting their vote is fairly easy to understand.
This short article attempts to demystify the STV system and includes an easy to follow video which demonstrates the main mechanisms of the system.
Richard Murphy (58) is a chartered accountant and a political economist.
He has been described by the Guardian newspaper as an “anti-poverty campaigner and tax expert”. He is Professor of Practice in International Political Economy at City University, London and Director of Tax Research UK. He is a non-executive director of Cambridge Econometrics.
In this article, Richard examines the myth that Scotland has a weak economy and explores the validity of the figures used in Government Expenditures and Revenues in Scotland (GERS) estimations.
The European Union Referendum held on the 23rd June 2016 resulted in a majority of 52% to leave the EU. Scotland saw things differently as every Scottish constituency voted to remain in the EU - resulting in a final majority of 62%.
The vote was UK wide and, because of the vastly greater number of voters in England, the UK 52% majority to leave swamped Scotland's 62% vote to remain. Effectively, Scotland was forced to comply with the UK result to leave the EU.
However, during the 2014 independence referendum, Scots were told that a vote for independence was guaranteed to remove Scotland from the EU. Conversely, a vote to stay in the UK would ensure Scotland would always continue to enjoy membership in the EU. This assurance was a powerful influence on the way many Scots voted - so much so, the closely contested result was a win for the NO side (to remain in the UK).
Page 4 of 9
