It was a document that promised so much. It was billed as having all the answers. Not simply a White Paper, but the great white hope of the independence campaign.
So it was difficult not to find our “Guide To An Independent Scotland” (PDF link) something of a damp squib when it finally dropped into the nation’s collective lap.
Yes, it is 677 pages long (in case you hadn’t heard or read that by now) and very neatly broken down into bite-size chunks, but it leaves something of a hunger for more detail.
There wasn’t very much that hasn’t been made public before.
Does that centrepiece childcare pledge sound familiar? If so, it’s probably because Alex Salmond told this year’s SNP spring conference: “I believe a transformational shift towards childcare should be one of the first tasks of an independent Scotland.”.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Some practical questions are ducked too, like can we really take on all the responsibilities that would move north from Westminster, while keeping the same number of MSPs? That’s a lot of work to share out.
The big question is: will it resonate with the public? That’s who the Scottish Government is aiming for with this publication.
Do the flat-out assertions about a “Sterling zone” and automatic entry to the EU without any problems or real concessions, thank you very much, reassure? Or do they make people sceptical about whether the full picture is being painted for them?
Mr Salmond was clear he didn’t care at all what his obvious critics would say, so long as the White Paper struck a chord with voters.
We’ll know if the strategy paid off in 10 months’ time.