MSPs will be asked to endorse the Scottish Government’s blueprint for independence in a Holyrood debate today.
First Minister Alex Salmond will take the formal white paper to the Scottish Parliament a day after its launch before international media in Glasgow.
The document (PDF link), which runs to almost 670 pages, sets out the SNP administration’s aims for negotiating terms after a Yes vote on September 18 next year.
It confirms that ministers are relying on keeping the pound as currency, shared with the rest of the UK, and that it is working towards seamless transition to European Union statehood.
The document also indicates what an SNP Government would do if re-elected in 2016, including pledges to improve childcare, scrap the so-called “bedroom tax” and remove Trident nuclear missiles from Scotland.
Mr Salmond said the long-awaited blueprint is a “mission statement” for changing the country for the better.
“Our vision is of an independent Scotland regaining its place as an equal member of the family of nations,” he said.To sign up for The Courier’s research panel and take part in our special independence white paper surveyclick here“However, we do not seek independence as an end in itself, but rather as a means to changing Scotland for the better.”
Opponents said the proposal is uncosted and that the Scottish Government already has the power to make changes.
The White Paper also shows that migrants would be encouraged to Scotland with more relaxed entry rules to help boost the working population.
Better Together leader Alistair Darling, a Labour MP, dismissed the document, saying nothing has changed.
He said: “It is a fantasy to say we can leave the UK but still keep all the benefits of UK membership. The White Paper is a work of fiction. It is thick with false promises and meaningless assertions.”
For full analysis of the white paper, see Wednesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.