Should Scotland be an independent country?

This is the question on everyone's lips north of the border - and next Thursday, that border may be more permanent and different than it is today.  On the 18th September, all adults from 16 and above will be able to vote yes or no on this question.  It is a momentous and historical event which will change the way the UK operates dramatically, particularly of course if the Scots vote yes, but also if they vote no.
There are now a huge number of places to look for more information and I am going to mention just a few.  First of all, the BBC and The Day (school subscription) are great places to start for a wealth of information.  You might also look at the two different camps on either side of the argument, the Scottish National Party (SNP) led by Alex Salmond and the Better Together Campaign led by Alistair Darling.
More opinions and views can be found from Polly Toynbee in the Guardian and Allister Heath in the Daily Telegraph but almost every news outlet now has a range of opinion editorials on the subject.
There are also a range of other media involved now in the debate, from comedians (warning: strong language) to a range of specially commissioned programmes on the BBC, particularly this one on women's votes by Jackie Bird.  Andrew Neil has done a particularly thoughtful one on what is at stake for the UK and Robert Peston, the BBC's Economics Editor looked at the economic issues.
The debate on the issue is going on across the school and across the country.  Do you have an opinion?

HP Articles: 10 October

Here are the latest articles from around the internet that may be of interest to Nonsuch HP readers. If you spot any more please let us know!

• A brief history of the Nobel Peace Prize
• Make a Horrible Histories brainbuster!
• The history of the Congo
• A useful timeline of the history of the USA
• Scotland's black history
• Was Neville Chamberlain really a terrible leader?
• Does Stonehenge really need a massive cafe?

Scotland's new powers

Appropriately on St Andrew's Day, the government have published the new Scotland bill which will devolve further powers. The bill follows the Calman Commission of 2009 which put forward a series of recommendations about further devolution. These include the power to set new income tax rates from 2015, new borrowing powers and control over issues such as the speed limit and drink-driving. Agreed by the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, the SNP unsurprisingly do not think it goes far enough and view it as a 'missed opportunity'. With Scottish elections next year, the three national parties will be hoping that it will appease those in Scotland wanting more power without encouraging further such demands from the SNP. What do you think?

Scottish Independence?

It was St Andrew's Day yesterday and Alex Salmond grabbed the opportunity to publish his plans for Scotland's constitutional future including a proposal to put forward a referendum on independence. Although it is unlikely to happen as he does not have enough support in the Scottish Parliament, it is raising the issue of independence and putting more pressure on the government to give more powers to the Scots. Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, has in fact already tried to pre-empt this announcement with proposals that do give more powers to the Scots.
What do you think? Should the Scots go independent? Or would it mean the break up of the rest of the UK and a significant drop in European and World status? What might be the benefits and drawbacks? Here is the Economist's view on the issue and here is a comprehensive look at the issue from the BBC.

A Scottish perspective

A new series of a History of Scotland returned last night. Dramatically told by Neil Oliver, it gives a very Scottish perspective on events from Charles I's reign and the growth of Presbyterianism to the Glorious Revolution of 1689. It tells the story of the Covenanters, radical presbyterians who signed an agreement between God and the people to retain their religion, and who were partly responsible for the Civil Wars. See here for the BBC's Scotland's History site and watch the programme.