A Question of Independence: How will the referendum work?

The debate over Scotland’s constitutional future has well and truly begun and Scotland’s national newspaper, The Scotsman, will be at the heart of the discussion as it unfolds over the next few months.

Working with our sister paper, Scotland on Sunday, and Scotsman Conferences, we will host A Question of Independence, a series of public policy conferences that will examine the big issues in the constitutional debate including the economy and monetary policy, defence and security, Scotland’s place in the world, and the welfare state.

The discussion will kick off with a conference on Thursday 8 March which will bring together some of the world’s leading experts on direct democracy with senior politicians to have a forensic discussion about the legal, practical and political issues arising from the referendum.

Already there is a national controversy over who should run the poll, what the questions should be and which body should ensure it is fair. There is even a debate over who is entitled to vote, with the Scottish Government arguing that 16 year olds should be allowed to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime poll.

Michael Moore, the Secretary of State for Scotland, has said that Westminster will seek to give the Scottish Parliament the legally binding power to hold such a referendum - with conditions on the impartiality of the procedure.

The Scottish Government insists it does not need permission from Westminster and has announced that its consultation document will be published next week. Both will be subject to the normal period of public consultation which our conference will feed into.

Delegates including those from legal firms, business leaders, civil servants, local government officials, academics, public affairs professionals, professional services, trade unions, the voluntary sector and faith groups should book for what promise to be a highly charged and thought provoking event.

Speakers:

Michael Moore MP, Secretary of State for Scotland

John Swinney MSP Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth.

Martin Sime, Chief Executive, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Christine O’Neill, Head of Public Law & Regulatory, Brodies LLP

Dr Alan Trench, expert on devolution and honorary senior research fellow at the Constitution Unit, University College London

Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University, one of Scotland’s leading political and polling experts.

Further speakers to be confirmed.

Information & Fees

We are pleased to offer the best value conference rates in Scotland:

Rate: £99 + VAT (10% discount for previous Scotsman Conference delegates)

Fees include refreshments, networking lunch and exclusive access to the Post Conference Reports.

For more information please email [email protected] or give the team a call on: 0131 620 8656

To book your place please click here.

The Scotsman Conferences are half day events. Registration will be from 8.30am. The conference will draw to a close at approximately 1.00pm and be followed by a networking lunch.

Key Speaker: See speaker list above

Venue: The Scotsman Head Office (Map Details )

Time: 08 March 2012, at 08:30