The Independence Convention is a new umbrella grouping for supporters of Scottish independence

Scottish independence

Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....

, also known as Interim Forum for an Independence Convention (IFIC). The Chairman is Murray Ritchie.

The aims of the Independence Convention are to create a forum for those of all political persuasions and none who support independence

Independence

Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

, and to be a national catalyst for Scottish independence.

The four immediate questions that the Convention intends to address are as follows:

1. What are the specific benefits, if any, of national self-determination
   Self-determination
   Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
   
    for Scotland
   Scotland
   Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
   
    in social, cultural, political and economic terms? What are the costs?
2. What, in broad terms, will an independent Scotland look like?
3. How will the transition between devolution
   Devolution
   Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
   
    and full independence be managed?
4. What are the principles and values that will underpin an independent Scotland and its relationships with the other successor state(s) to the United Kingdom
   United Kingdom
   The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
   
   , and to the rest of the world?

The interim convention launched on St. Andrew's Day

St. Andrew's Day

St Andrew's Day is the feast day of Saint Andrew. It is celebrated on 30 November.Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and St Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day...

, 2005.

See also

• Independence First
  Independence First
  Independence First or Independence 1st is a political movement in Scotland, first proposed through internet discussions in September 2004, then formally constituted on 19 February 2005...
  
  
• Scottish Constitutional Convention
  Scottish Constitutional Convention
  The Scottish Constitutional Convention was an association of Scottish political parties, churches and other civic groups, that developed a framework for a Scottish devolution. It is credited as having paved the way for the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.The Convention was...
  
  
• Constitutional Convention
  Constitutional convention (political meeting)
  A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
  
  

External links

• Official page
• Salmond launches blueprint for Independence, Scottish National Party
  Scottish National Party
  The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
  
  press release, 2 December, 2005