Congratulations to Jim Osborne, who comments regularly here, on what I think is his first article in The National newspaper in Scotland this morning.
As he notes in an article on the work of the Scottish Currency Group (of which I am a member):
Currency is the collective power of the people, which is why state funds (before Thatcher) were always referred to as the “public purse”. It is our money because it is our government that creates it. There is no such thing as “taxpayers' money”.
What we need is a vision of the collective investment necessary to establish the full Scottish Government.
I agree.
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It wasn’t “my article” Richard – it was just published in The National under my name – my role was to offer a first draft and then co-ordinate a collaboration within the Scottish Currency Group to develop that first draft into a final one….it was a team effort….not an easy process to manage but well worth the effort. Now working on No. 2
I am glad you got the credit
Well written article, the use of the terms “public purse” and “no such thing as “taxpayers’ money” inspired. If there’s to be a written constitution the problems the Americans have experienced with their’s needs to be examined carefully. The quick legislative action taken in regard to gun ownership in the UK after the Dunblane Massacre is a case in point. The Americans continue to regularly have massacres and the right to gun ownership has been become a fetish for many largely because it’s in the constitution.
I have pretty strong views on what the priorities for a written constitution are and they include a Preamble and a
set of Fundamental Rights for all citizens
PREAMBLE
(1) THE STATE AND THE PEOPLE
The Scottish state and the people’s government shall have the overriding purpose of upholding the rights set out in this Constitution and shall exercise its powers so that all citizens are enabled to realise their right to achieve their full potential and make as full a contribution as they are able to the common weal.
(2) THE PEOPLE AND THE STATE
All citizens shall have obligations to the state and the government, as well as the rights which are set out in this constitution
(3) THE PEOPLE
Every citizen shall also have obligations to all others and shall respect the rights of all their fellow citizens.
(4) SUBSIDIARITY
The people and government of Scotland shall adopt the principle of subsidiarity in the conduct our affairs.
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
A right to food: All citizens shall have a right to food of sufficient quantity and nutritional quality to sustain health and well being
A right to water: All citizens shall have a right to clean water free from harmful microbiological, chemical and mineral contamination
A right to housing: All citizens shall have a right to housing of a standard that meets their physical and mental health needs
A right to energy: All citizens shall have a right to a supply of energy to meet all their domestic and business needs
A right to health: All citizens shall have a right to health care, free at the point of use throughout their lives and free social care when they can no longer sustain independent living
A right to education: All citizens shall have a right to free education throughout their life to enable them to fulfil their full potential
A right to work: All citizens shall have a right to purposeful employment and paid at least the minimum rate of pay required for a dignified and healthy life.
A right to a pension: All citizens shall have a right to a pension which will sustain a dignified and healthy life after retirement
Freedom of information: All citizens shall have the right to freedom of information in relation to all public organisations and public bodies so that are able to hold government and public bodies to account
Freedom of movement: All citizens shall have the right to travel freely within the boundaries of Scotland subject only to
– the rights to privacy of others
– provisions for environmental protection
Right to liberty: See EHCR Article 5
A right to justice: See EHCR Articles 6 + 7
A right to privacy See EHCR Article 8
Religious freedom: See EHCR Article 9
Freedom of expression: See EHCR Article 10
Freedom of peaceful assembly: See EHCR Article 11
A constitution is required but it should be limited to what is essential. There is one of the Scottish Constitution groups I keep arguing with as they want to put things like a 3% deficit rule into the constitution! In fact all sorts of stuff about money, banking and government finances that have no place at all in a constitution. As you say they get set in concrete and are very hard to change.
A statement of principles (Preamble) and fundamental rights of citizens are essentials….everything else flows from these. Fiscal rules and the like are definitely not for a Constitution
My suggestion might be to include a regular review date in the document, something the US Constitution suffers from not having.
Richard, is it possible to donate to the Scottish Currency Group that is mentioned here?
Thanks.
Ask Tim Rideout