Tom Mullen: Academics can help answer independence questions

IT LOOKS like there will be a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014, although the details are still unclear. For Scots this will probably be the most important political decision we make in our lifetimes.

In choosing how to vote, we will be influenced by various factors, perhaps including strong emotions about national identity and culture. But people will also be thinking about the practical consequences of independence. How will it affect Scotland’s economy? How much tax will I have to pay? Will Scotland be able to finance public services?

These issues – which will be central to the independence debate over the next two years – have important legal and constitutional dimensions. Does the Scottish Parliament have power to legislate for a referendum? Would an independent Scotland automatically be a member of the European Union? What rights would Scottish citizens have in the rest of the UK?

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However, independence is not the only live option for Scotland’s future governance. Many Scots would welcome further devolution of power short of independence, and devo-plus, devo-max and other variations also raise important legal and constitutional questions.

We need to be able to make informed and rational choices about our political future. So far, debate has been dominated by governments and political parties, and has sometimes been partisan.

The Scottish Constitutional Futures Forum has been set up by academics from the Law Schools at Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde universities to provide a space for disseminating information and for non-partisan discussion. Our aim is to get at the truth of these issues – recognising that there is often legitimate disagreement about what the truth is – rather than to advance any particular political agenda, and we want to draw as wide a range of groups and interests into this process as possible.

We will be holding a number of events over the next few years covering all the major legal and constitutional issues. For details, and for regular opinion and analysis, see our website www.scottishconstitutionalfutures.org.

• Tom Mullen is a professor of law at the University of Glasgow