The Conference
You’re invited.
Scottish Sovereignty Research Group Conference
EMPOWERING THE NATION
29,30,31 July 2022 at the Carnegie Conference Centre, Dunfermline
Come and take part in SSRG’s first conference and play your part in helping to shape the future of Scotland
Your Ticket
Tickets cost £25 for the full three days of the conference including for any breakout meetings you wish to attend, £10 for a single day and £5 for a three-day online pass.
Refreshments and meals may be purchased separately from the venue’s restaurant. Discount lunch if you pay in £Scots.
The Conference
EMPOWERING THE NATION is a deliberately ambitious event where we will cover many of the important issues currently facing Scotland, discussed by well-known expert speakers from Scotland and beyond, including Professor Alf Baird, Professor Richard Murphy, Sara Salyers, Professor Paul McCartney, Billy Kay, Dr Tim Rideout and many more to be announced.
We’ll be covering:
• Six Routes to Self-Determination
• Scotland’s economy post independence, currency, taxation and more
• Language, Culture and Identity
• Land Ownership and Natural Resources
• Scotland’s Defence requirements and policies
• Media Ownership and Regulation
• International Recognition and Relations, EU, EFTA and more
• Strategic National Infrastructure & Trade
• Scotland’s Constitution – the Historic Constitution, based on the Claim of Right, and the development of a modern written constitution
EMPOWERING THE NATION is not just a conference though. Delegates (that’s you) are invited to participate and contribute to work streams related to each of the topics, with the aim of generating practical follow-up actions in each of the topic areas.
Online Passes
If you’ve purchased an online pass, the link will be emailed to you before the conference starts. If you do not receive a link please email:
A Zoom link will provide viewing of all presentations over the three days and participation in the question and answer session at the end of each presentation. You will be able to ask your question live via your Zoom link (audio only, your video will not appear) or you will be able to ask a question via Zoom’s chat facility.
We’re sorry, but online streaming is not available at the moment.
Please note that only the main conference sessions will be televised – breakout sessions will not be visible.
Friday, 29 July: Day One
10:00 - 12:00
Canmore Suite
Registration
Come along 10, meet the organisers and your fellow delegates, have a bite to eat before the conference starts at 1pm. Remember to bring your ticket!
13:00 - 13:15
Canmore Suite
Introduction and Welcome
SSRG Founder: Dr Mark McNaught
Mark will go through the agenda for the next three days and set out the aims of the conference.
13:15 - 15:00
Canmore Suite
Six Routes To Self Determination
Speakers: Mark McNaught (Chair), Chris McEleny, Peter A Bell, Sara Salyers, Gordon Ross, and Professor Alf Baird
Including:
- Section 30-enabled referendum and Scottish Government-organised referendums, ie, no Section 30
- Plebiscitory Election
- Manifesto for Indy
- Claim of Right
- UN Decolonisation Process
15:30 - 17:00
Canmore Suite
Scotland’s Economy
Speakers: Professor Richard Murphy, and Dr Tim Rideout
Subjects covered: Currency, Taxation, Banking
18:00 - 19:30
Canmore Suite
Televised ‘Scottish Questions’
Televised “Scottish Questions” live recording of “Scottish Questions” with a balanced expert panel consisting:
Neale Hanvey MP, Gordon Ross (Indycar), Eva Comrie and Dr Yvonne Ridley. The event will be chaired by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.
This programme will be recorded as live and is scheduled for broadcast on Sky Channel 191 at 9pm
Saturday, 30 July: Day Two
9:15 - 10:15
Canmore Suite
Language, Culture & Identity
Speakers: Yvonne Ridley (Chair), Jamie Reid, Billy Kay & Professor Alf Baird
10:15 - 11:15
Breakout Room
Breakout: Salvo Planning
Salvo will be running the postponed session from their launch event on 3rd July. This will start with an introduction into the Claim of Right followed by a question-and-answer session, followed by a look at Salvo’s initial campaign strategy.
10:30 - 11:30
Canmore Suite
Land Ownership, Taxation and Natural Resources
Speaker: Graeme McCormick
11:45 - 12:45
Canmore Suite
Media Ownership and Regulation
14:00 -15:00
Breakout Room
Breakout: Estonia’s Route to Independence
Iain runs the “Yours for Scotland” Blog site and is a former Estonian honorary consul in Scotland.
Iain has lived and worked in Estonia and the other Baltic States and has a unique insight into how Estonia gained its independence.
Includes Q & A
15:30 - 16:30
Canmore Suite
Defence Requirements and Policy in an Independent Scotland
Speakers: Andrew Parrott, Cliff Purves and Dave Doogan, SNP MP for Angus
15:30 - 16:30
Canmore Suite
Breakout: Salvo Session 2
The morning’s strategy planning will flow into this session, where Salvo will be looking at how the Convention of the Estates can be re-constituted.
16:45 - 18:00
Canmore Suite
International Law & Relations, Recognition, the EU and EFTA
Speakers: Craig Murray, Professor Paul McCartney & David Younger
18:30 - 19:30
Canmore Suite
Play: 3000 Trees
A one-man play starring Andy Paterson , about the Life and untimely Death of Willie MacRae
£10 admission, licensed bar
Sunday 31 July: Day Three
9:15 - 10:15
Canmore Suite
Strategic Infrastructure and Trade
Speakers: Iain Cameron and Professor Alf Baird
10:15 - 11:15
Breakout Room
Breakout: Violations of the Treaty of Union
The aim of this session is to make a start on a list of breaches of the Treaty of Union. The aim is to use this initial list as the basis for a comprehensive and chronological list of breaches of the Treaty by the “England as the UK” Government and also any breaches by Scotland.
10:30 - 12:00
Canmore Suite
Scotland’s Constitution
Speakers: Dr Mark McNaught, Sara Salyers, Dr Elliot Bulmer, Martin Keatings
12:15 - 13:15
Breakout Room
Breakout: The Cost to Scotland of the Union
This breakout workshop will make a start on a proper account of the costs that Scotland pays as a result of being in the Union. The aim is to produce accounts for recent years and going back historically of costs that Scotland would not have occurred as an independent country.
13:30 - 16:00
Canmore Suite
Next Steps
Group Facilitators
16:15 - 16:30
Canmore Suite
Close of Conference
The Venue: Carnegie Conference Centre
Carnegie Conference Centre is located just off the M90 motorway, 25 minutes from Edinburgh.
Free car and bike parking is available at the venue. By train, it is a 14 minute walk (0.6 miles) from the Queen Margaret railway station, while Dunfermline Town train station is a 5 minute taxi journey. There is a regular bus service, (19A), from Dunfermline bus station, (14 minutes/2.2 miles).
Long distance buses X26 and X24 run from Glasgow and St Andrews respectively and the best bus stop is right at Fife College. The conference centre is part of Fife College.
The college / conference centre is located at the back of the HIE hotel, just across the road from the ASDA superstore.
The address is:
Carnegie Conference Centre
Halbeath Road
Dunfermline, Fife
KY11 8DY
Tel: 03442480142
Camping Accommodation
We are aware that a number of people who wish to attend the conference are experiencing difficulty in finding overnight accommodation at a reasonable price. We have therefore arranged to set up a campsite at a field next to Inzievar Kennels & Cattery just south of Oakley on the A907, 5 miles west of Dunfermline and about 10 miles from the Conference Centre.
Twenty-five pitches are available and camping tickets cost £30 per pitch for a stay of up to 3 nights (Arrive Thursday 28th , depart Sunday 31st) and can be purchased along with 3-day conference tickets.
Location
From the A907 in Oakley turn South on to Station Road and carry on through the village, under an old railway bridge, then turn left and immediate right, you’ll see signs for the campsite and for Inzievar Kennels and Cattery. The PostCode for SatNav users is KY12 8HB.
Facilities
This is a “pop-up” campsite so facilities are limited. There are 2 toilets and water is available via a standpipe. The site is peaceful and the views over the nearby countryside are very attractive as the pictures below will attest.

