Alex Salmond has said no country has ever been better equipped for independence as he prepares to launch his blueprint for Scotland’s future in the event of a yes vote.
The First Minister said Tuesday’s publication of his government’s independence white paper will put beyond dispute Scotland’s capacity to be a successful country without the UK.
At the heart of the 670-page document will be a plan to create jobs, boost the economy and increase long-term economic security, he said.
Scotland is likely to be the focus of worldwide interest, with more than 200 journalists from as far afield as Japan, Australia and Russia registered to attend the launch of the paper at Glasgow’s science centre.
Advocates of the Union said they will be looking for answers to difficult questions on currency arrangements, EU membership and pensions.
Mr Salmond said: “The Scottish Government is setting out plans for the future, and from Tuesday we will seek to engage the whole Scottish population in a debate about how to build a better Scotland.
“The white paper will detail how Scotland’s public finances are healthier than the UK’s and will show that we have raised more in tax per head than the UK as a whole for every one of the last 30 years.
“As well as demonstrating these firm foundations, the white paper will put the focus of the referendum campaign firmly on Scotland’s future and the issues that matters most to people jobs, economic growth and security.
“It will make the economic, social and democratic case for independence and show that the better Scotland we all seek can only be achieved by putting the decisions about Scotland’s future in the hands of the people of Scotland.
“Everyone in Scotland should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and to make a contribution to our society. This white paper will show that with the powers of independence we can and will grow our economy, boost our population, and ensure everyone in Scotland benefits from our wealth.”
The independence referendum will take place on September 18 next year.
If people in Scotland vote yes then it would become independent on March 24 2016, according to the white paper proposals.
There will be a formal meeting of Scotland’s Cabinet at the science centre before Tuesday’s launch and ministers will later return to Holyrood for a statement to MSPs.
The document itself will be available online at scotreferendum.com and in hard copy and e-reader form.
Former chancellor Alistair Darling, head of the Better Together campaign, said that hints about the content of the paper and the setting of a date for independence suggested “nothing has changed”.
“The nationalists expect to be able to negotiate all the big issues in just a year and a half,” he said. “It won’t just be about disentangling a 300-year-old union between Scotland and the rest of the UK we would have negotiations with 28 other EU nations, with NATO and all other international organisations.
“We are entitled to ask what sort of a deal we are likely to get on such a tight timetable and what the back-up plans are.
“Whatever the SNP promise in the white paper, there are no guarantees. That is why on fundamentally important issues like the currency they must set out a plan B.”
Mr Darling said: “One thing will change after Tuesday’s white paper. For months the nationalists have evaded every difficult question by telling us that we should wait until the white paper for answers. In 48 hours there will be no way for Alex Salmond to escape the difficult questions.”