Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, was in Orkney this weekend with a busy schedule covering the St. Magnus Festival, WWI commemorations, and management of Historic Scotland sites such as Maeshowe.

At a well-attended public meeting in Stromness Community Centre on Saturday, Ms. Hyslop outlined the positive case for Scottish independence and took questions on the referendum from members of the public. She stressed that island communities and the renewable energy industry are central to the current Scottish Government's vision of what an independent Scotland will look like, and that a Yes vote will empower Orkney to take greater control of it's own economy and environment.

As a response to ongoing negotiations with the Our Islands Our Future campaign, the Scottish Government has produced a prospectus called Empowering Island Communities, which can be read online:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/06/2708

Regarding the wider referendum debate, Ms. Hyslop stated that the White Paper and recently announced interim constitution show that Scotland is ready and able to make the transition to independence. She quoted David Cameron as an example of the widespread acceptance that Scotland is well able to stand on its own feet economically. He is on record as saying,

'Supporters of independence will always be able cite examples of small, independent and thriving economies across Europe such as Finland, Switzerland and Norway. It would be wrong to suggest that Scotland could not be another such successful independent country.'

According to Ms. Hyslop, devolution has worked well for Scotland, enabling us to maintain free tuition fees and resist privatisation of the NHS, but independence is needed to address the democratic deficit of the Westminster system and build a more prosperous, socially just nation. She said,

'We should be independent, to be more democratic, to increase prosperity, and to build a fairer Scotland. But Scotland must be independent, and we must be independent to avoid consequences of a No vote. With a No vote we do not take decisions for ourselves - they are taken for us. We can do things like mitigating the worst consequences of things that are wrong with Westminster, but that's time, energy and resources that are trying to protect ourselves from a constant barrage of policies that we do not want.'

If Scotland remains part of the UK, up to 100,000 more Scottish children will be living in poverty by 2020, with austerity measures set to continue regardless of whether Labour or the Conservatives win the next general election. Stable funding for Scotland cannot be guaranteed under Westminster rule, with any changes to the Barnett Formula having consequences for the provision of public services (including the NHS) in Scotland.

With independence, the people of Scotland will be sovereign, make all decisions about our own country, and always get the government we vote for.

Fiona Hyslop expressed confidence that the Edinburgh Agreement will allow for productive negotiations with the British government following a Yes vote, and that the UK will remain a close friend and ally of Scotland. She said that a peaceful, democratic, constitutional transition is an exciting prospect, and that an independent Scotland has the chance to become a beacon of hope and prosperity for the rest of the United Kingdom.

Listen to Fiona Hyslop's opening statement at the following link.