Declaration of Calton Hill
Encyclopedia
The Declaration of Calton Hill
was a declaration calling for an independent
Scottish Republic
. It was declared on October 9, 2004, at Calton Hill in Edinburgh New Town, at the same time that Queen Elizabeth II
was officially opening the new Scottish Parliament
building
at Holyrood
.
This was the third time the Queen had addressed the Scottish Parliament. The first time had been at the opening of the parliament itself, on July 1, 1999, at the parliament's temporary home at the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland
; the second time had been during the Golden Jubilee when the Parliament was in session at the Conference Room, Kings College
at the University of Aberdeen
.
Calton Hill overlooks Edinburgh, and features neo-classical architecture built at the time of the Scottish Enlightenment
- viewed by supporters as a symbol of hope for a possible Scottish republic. Holding the rally there at the same time as the Queen opened parliament was an attempt to highlight the aspirations of those who had demanded a Scottish Parliament, and saw the current one as only a stepping stone to full independence.
The Declaration was created by the Scottish Socialist Party
, and takes the form of a petition
to the government of the United Kingdom at Westminster
. However, the vast majority of signatories are not from the Scottish Socialist Party. The petition is now found on the Internet
petition service
petitiononline
.
The Declaration was attended by approximately 500 people, including several members of the Scottish Parliament, as well as some notable figures in literature, arts and music; the latter provided entertainment. In contrast, multiple thousands attended the procession and celebrations of the opening of the parliament building.
, the petition does not explicitly call for socialism
in Scotland. As such it has drawn supporters from a wide range of ideologies. In particular, the declaration was supported by some from Scotland's artistic community, including Edwin Morgan, Iain Banks
, Alasdair Gray
, Irvine Welsh
and filmmaker Peter Mullan
.
, equality
, diversity
and solidarity, as well as a non-hierarchical society. Sovereignty
would rest with the People and not with a monarch
or Parliament.
A written constitution was also desired, whereas currently the United Kingdom
does not have a written constitution; although some oversight for laws is provided by the Human Rights Act
. The Declaration stated that the hypothetical Scottish constitution would guarantee suffrage
, freedom of speech
and freedom of assembly
; and would ensure a right of privacy
and protection. It would also ensure freedom of information
about government matters.
Written at a time of heightened anti-war feeling during the Iraq war, the Declaration called for "the power to refuse to send our sons and daughters to kill and die in unjust wars in foreign lands". Further, it called for "the power" to "banish nuclear weapons of mass destruction
from our land". The UK's nuclear arsenal is based in Scotland.
Calton Hill, Edinburgh
Calton Hill is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, just to the east of the New Town. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the city....
was a declaration calling for an independent
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....
Scottish Republic
Scottish republicanism
Scottish republicanism refers to the advocacy position held by some Scottish pro-independence organisations for a Republic of Scotland with an elected head of state...
. It was declared on October 9, 2004, at Calton Hill in Edinburgh New Town, at the same time that Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
was officially opening the new Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
building
Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
at Holyrood
Holyrood, Edinburgh
Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Lying east of the city centre, at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood was once in the separate burgh of Canongate before the expansion of Edinburgh in 1856...
.
This was the third time the Queen had addressed the Scottish Parliament. The first time had been at the opening of the parliament itself, on July 1, 1999, at the parliament's temporary home at the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland
General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland
The Assembly Hall is located between the Lawnmarket and The Mound in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the meeting place of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.-History:...
; the second time had been during the Golden Jubilee when the Parliament was in session at the Conference Room, Kings College
King's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and an integral part of the University of Aberdeen...
at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
.
Calton Hill overlooks Edinburgh, and features neo-classical architecture built at the time of the Scottish Enlightenment
Scottish Enlightenment
The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By 1750, Scots were among the most literate citizens of Europe, with an estimated 75% level of literacy...
- viewed by supporters as a symbol of hope for a possible Scottish republic. Holding the rally there at the same time as the Queen opened parliament was an attempt to highlight the aspirations of those who had demanded a Scottish Parliament, and saw the current one as only a stepping stone to full independence.
The Declaration was created by the Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
, and takes the form of a petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
to the government of the United Kingdom at Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. However, the vast majority of signatories are not from the Scottish Socialist Party. The petition is now found on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
petition service
Internet petition
An Internet petition is a form of petition posted on a website. Visitors to the website in question can add their email addresses or names, and after enough "signatures" have been collected, the resulting letter may be delivered to the subject of the petition, usually via e-mail.-Pros and cons:The...
petitiononline
PetitionOnline
PetitionOnline is an Internet petition service founded and trademarked in 1999 by Artifice, Inc., and now operated by Change.org, that allows users to create and sign petitions. When enough signatures on a petition are collected, the creator of the petition can send it towards its intended target,...
.
The Declaration was attended by approximately 500 people, including several members of the Scottish Parliament, as well as some notable figures in literature, arts and music; the latter provided entertainment. In contrast, multiple thousands attended the procession and celebrations of the opening of the parliament building.
Origin and supporters
Although it was created by the Scottish Socialist PartyScottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
, the petition does not explicitly call for socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
in Scotland. As such it has drawn supporters from a wide range of ideologies. In particular, the declaration was supported by some from Scotland's artistic community, including Edwin Morgan, Iain Banks
Iain Banks
Iain Banks is a Scottish writer. He writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies...
, Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray is a Scottish writer and artist. His most acclaimed work is his first novel Lanark, published in 1981 and written over a period of almost 30 years...
, Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life...
and filmmaker Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
.
Aims of the Declaration
Primarily, the Declaration called for an independent Scotland, and characterised the nature of the potential future state, which would include libertyLiberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
, equality
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
, diversity
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
and solidarity, as well as a non-hierarchical society. Sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
would rest with the People and not with a monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
or Parliament.
A written constitution was also desired, whereas currently 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...
does not have a written constitution; although some oversight for laws is provided by the Human Rights Act
Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act 1998 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which received Royal Assent on 9 November 1998, and mostly came into force on 2 October 2000. Its aim is to "give further effect" in UK law to the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights...
. The Declaration stated that the hypothetical Scottish constitution would guarantee suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
, freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and freedom of assembly
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests...
; and would ensure a right of privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
and protection. It would also ensure freedom of information
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
The Freedom of Information Act 2002 was an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in 2002. It covers public bodies over which the Scottish Parliament has jurisdiction, fulfilling a similar purpose to the UK-level Freedom of Information Act 2000...
about government matters.
Written at a time of heightened anti-war feeling during the Iraq war, the Declaration called for "the power to refuse to send our sons and daughters to kill and die in unjust wars in foreign lands". Further, it called for "the power" to "banish nuclear weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
from our land". The UK's nuclear arsenal is based in Scotland.
Text of the declaration
See also
- Scottish republicanismScottish republicanismScottish republicanism refers to the advocacy position held by some Scottish pro-independence organisations for a Republic of Scotland with an elected head of state...
- Scottish IndependenceScottish independenceScottish 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....
- Scottish Socialist PartyScottish Socialist PartyThe Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....