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.

Buy Online

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

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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!

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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.

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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

The presentations will cover a number of defined routes and principles whereby Scotland could become a normal country
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
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15:30 - 17:00

Canmore Suite

Scotland’s Economy

Speakers: Professor Richard Murphy, and Dr Tim Rideout

Subjects covered: Currency, Taxation, Banking

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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

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9:15 - 10:15

Canmore Suite

Language, Culture & Identity

Speakers: Yvonne Ridley (Chair), Jamie Reid, Billy Kay & Professor Alf Baird

Scottish Languages, Culture & Identity. Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
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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.

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10:30 - 11:30

Canmore Suite

Land Ownership, Taxation and Natural Resources

Speaker: Graeme McCormick

Land Ownership, Taxation, and Natural Resources Ownership in Scotland, today and in an independent Scotland
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11:45 - 12:45

Canmore Suite

Media Ownership and Regulation

Speakers: David Henry, Iain Lawson, Craig Murray and Yvonne Ridley

Media Ownership and regulation in Scotland today and after independence
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14:00 -15:00

Breakout Room

Breakout: Estonia’s Route to Independence

Facilitator: Iain Lawson

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. 

Since gaining its independence in 1991, the country  has transformed itself from being in abject poverty  to now being the most digitally advanced nation in Europe.

Includes Q & A

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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

Defence & Security requirements and Policy in an independent Scotland. Objectives roles and make up of armed forces.
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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.

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16:45 - 18:00

Canmore Suite

International Law & Relations, Recognition, the EU and EFTA

Speakers: Craig Murray, Professor Paul McCartney & David Younger

The key questions about how an independent Scotland will fit in the world and be recognised as a full member of the international community
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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

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9:15 - 10:15

Canmore Suite

Strategic Infrastructure and Trade

Speakers: Iain Cameron and Professor Alf Baird

Scotland’s strategic infrastructure has been sold off and under-invested for decades, leaving us seriously uncompetitive. How should this be rectified ?
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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.

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10:30 - 12:00

Canmore Suite

Scotland’s Constitution

Speakers: Dr Mark McNaught, Sara Salyers, Dr Elliot Bulmer, Martin Keatings

The Historic Constitution and the development of a New Constitution for an independent Scotland
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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.

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13:30 - 16:00

Canmore Suite

Next Steps

Group Facilitators

Findings, Conclusions and Actionable Outcomes from Group Working Sessions on all policy areas and calls for specific actions.
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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

Buy Your Ticket
Carnegie Conference Centre

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.

Conference Campsite
Conference Campsite