Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond published details today of a planned referendum on Scottish independence, setting out the case for breaking the 300-year-old union with England.
Mr Salmond, who heads the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), said only independence would deliver a "21st century partnership of equals between Scotland and England".
The White Paper, "Your Scotland, Your Voice", paves the way for a Referendum Bill early next year with a vote in about 12 months. "The debate in Scottish politics is no longer between change or no change," Mr Salmond said in a statement.
"It's about the kind of change we seek, and the right of the people to choose their future in a free and fair referendum."
But his minority government faces an uphill struggle to push the bill through the Scottish Holyrood parliament as all the other main parties oppose independence, and say the country needs to concentrate on economic recovery.
Mr Salmond has included other options in the White Paper, which range from keeping the status quo to full devolution while remaining part of the United Kingdom, in an attempt to persuade these parties to support a plebiscite.
He said he was flexible over the provisions and wording of a referendum, the only stipulation being that a vote of independence had to be included.
Scotland, which has had devolved government for the past 10 years, needed more powers to tackle the recession and manage the recovery he said. Independence would give Scotland a voice in Europe and the ability to remove Trident nuclear weapons from its soil, he added.
The First Minister, who before the global financial crisis had called for an "Arc of Prosperity" of smaller nations, including Ireland and Norway, said the White Paper offered the most detailed case ever for independence.
If the bill failed, he said the fight for independence would become a key issue in the next Scottish elections in 2011.
However, if the bill went through and the Scottish public voted against independence, he would accept that verdict, adding "a referendum is a once in a political generation event".
The SNP, which took power with a minority government in May 2007 narrowly defeating Labour, said polls consistently showed the Scots wanted more powers.
But a YouGov poll in the Daily Telegraphlast week showed 57 per cent of those who responded would say "no" to independence.
Reuters