By Frank Burns - October 14th, 2008

Future Scotland Seminar event

Monday 17th November
10.00am - 1.00 pm followed by lunch.

ALVO, 2 Hope Street, Lanark, ML11 7LZ

Speakers include Aileen Campbell, MSP
This free seminar event is one of a series of events across Scotland for people working/ volunteering for voluntary organisations who want to find out more about/ discuss the current debate on the constitution. Delegates will hear from politicians and voluntary sector speakers about the National Conversation and the Calman Commission on Scottish Devolution (see below for more info) and then spend some time in small groups discussing some overarching questions.
Delegates will be encouraged to look at what they would like to see happen for their organisations and communities, where changes to the constitution might be help achieve this vision, or otherwise, and how best to feed into the different strands of debate.
Results of the day's discussions will be fed back to the Scottish Government, and will also help inform SCVO's responses to the National Conversation and to the Calman Commission. It is hoped that the discussions will also encourage voluntary organisations to make their own responses to the debate. Lunch included.
To book or for further information: contact Jill Flye
Programme:
10.00 am coffee on arrival.
10.30am - 11.30am Speakers, questions from the floor
11.30am - 11.40am Short Break
11.40am - 1pm - Small group discussions
1pm Lunch, networking.

Notes

The National Conversation on Scotland's constitutional future was launched on August, 2007, when Alex Salmond asked every Scot 'to reflect not on the kind of country we are - but on the kind of country we could be”. He said that the Conversation was based on the premise that the people of Scotland are sovereign and should decide on the way they are governed.

For Conversation identifies three main options:
Staying within the current devolution settlement
Enhanced devolution (from small changes, to radical extension of powers to Scotland)
Independence

The launch also included a Paper, Choosing Scotland's Future, setting out the ground for the National Conversation and examining the principal options for constitutional change and addressing the arguments for and against each.

See more at: Scotland Government

The Commission on Scottish Devolution ("Calman Commission") is headed by Sir Kenneth Calman and has been sitting since April 2008. Its remit is:
"To review the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 in the light of experience and to recommend any changes to the present constitutional arrangements that would enable the Scottish Parliament to serve the people of Scotland better, improve the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament, and continue to secure the position of Scotland within the United Kingdom."

The Commission intends to publish a first report by the end of 2008, and a final report at some point in 2009.

See more at: Commission on Scottish Devolution




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