Country Watch
pendent Scottish legislature passed in 1997, which lead to the Scotland Act of 1998 and the creation of an independent Scottish Parliament in 1999.
Then, the first minority government was formed by the Scottish National Party (SNP) called the Scottish Government on May 3, 2007. The SNP also organized a National Conversation, also called a Consultation, on August 2007. This resulted in the distribution of the white paper titled “Choos- ing Scotland’s Future,” which included a Scottish referendum to negotiate with the United Kingdom for Scottish independence. On November 2009, a white paper titled “Your Scotland, Your Voice” was published for a 2010 referendum with four scenar- ios: no change, devolution, full devolution, or full independence. The bill was withdrawn after failure to receive Scottish Parliament support.
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After winning a majority in the 2011 election for Scotland’s Parliament, the Scottish National Par- ty negotiated with the United Kingdom until an agreement was reached in October 2012 in re- gards to Scotland’s independence. The Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Act of 2013 was passed on June 27, 2013 and received royal assent on August 7, 2013. A new white pa- per called “Scotland’s Future” was released on November 26, 2013.
If the Scottish people vote for independence, the next step for Scotland would be to discuss subse- quent issues and solutions to these issues.
Scotland’s economic strength is one concern – raising questions of currency, ability to be inde- pendent financially, and many other important questions. Scotland’s white paper describes plans to retain the pound as Scotland’s currency. There is an issue of Scotland’s defense arrangements – raising questions of ability to defend, creation of a military or type of defense unit, and many other important questions. Scotland’s response to this, as described in its white paper, is to establish its own defense force and budget, as well as the re- moval of all nuclear weapons. There is an issue
of membership with other supranational organiza- tions such as the European Union and NATO – rais- ing questions of Scotland’s status and whether it must apply separately for membership. Scotland’s response to this issue in its white paper is to in- dependently join NATO, the European Union, and other supranational organizations it feels are in its best interest to join. Whether Scotland should be independent is a question left to Scotland to de- cide and freedom depends on a vote by the Scot- tish people. The September 18, 2014 vote may finally free Scotland to become an internationally recognized sovereign, separate and distinct from the United Kingdom.
* Submitted by Tia Haywood
Proposed Amnesty Bill Causes Civil Unrest in Thailand
Protests in Thailand have become widespread fol- lowing a proposed amnesty bill that would have pardoned individuals for past crimes committed during the 2006 military coup. The amnesty bill in Thailand was approved by the House of Represen- tatives with a 310-0 vote on November 1, 2013 af- ter 19 hours of heated debate with strong support by government-coalition groups.
The Democratic Party, which had opposed the bill, refused to take part in the vote. It staged protests, threatened to file a complaint with the Constitu- tional Court to block the legislation, and walked out in protest prior to the vote. The bill was ulti- mately defeated by the Senate 141-0 on Novem- ber 11 after the ruling party withdrew its support. The bill can still become law despite the Senate voting it down if the lower house passes it after a 180-day period. However, government coalition parties and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have pledged to not revive the bill. Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had rejected a proposal seeking amnesty for those involved in the 2006 military coup. A month later, he resigned as prime minister after the Democratic Party defeats in
ILSA Quarterly » volume 22 » issue 3 » February 2014
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