SOME of the biggest names in the country’s cultural scene have put their names to a “Declaration For Independence” that calls for Scotland to take its place on the world stage.

Hollywood star Brian Cox, author Val McDermid, historian Tom Devine, and artist Christine Borland are among the 48 signatories to the document, which has been issued as demand for a second referendum on Scottish independence continues to grow.

The most recent poll, carried out by YouGov for The Times, revealed that for the first time most Scots believe that there should be a referendum at some point in the next five years.

Over the weekend, thousands took to the streets of Edinburgh for the All Under One Banner rally, in a show of support for Scottish independence.

The declaration was the brainchild of writer James Robertson, below, and The National columnist Ruth Wishart.

The pledge calls for Scotland to “take its place as an independent country on the world stage, free to join international organisations and alliances for purposes of trade and commerce, and for the protection and care of the planet’s natural environment, without which the human race cannot survive".

Independence will, the authors say, “provide an opportunity to review and, where necessary, change the systems of both national and local government, in order to make them more accountable to the people and more beneficial to their needs".

The National:

Robertson told The National that the declaration wasn’t about laying down laws, but about encouraging Scots to ”start and restart a conversation about what kind of country we want to be".

“This isn’t just us saying, ‘God isn’t Brexit awful,’ it’s about saying how there’s a better way of trying to create a country that works for everybody.”

He added: “We recognise that the direction of travel for the UK seems to be in he complete opposite direction from the kind of society that we want to create and live in.

“Brexit is merely the latest illustration of why those who signed it think Scotland should be independence.”

“The gap between people who’ve previously been no but who might switch to yes is not that big,” he added.

“I think there’ has certainly been movement towards independence. I know of several folk who have changed their mind from no to yes, some people who surprised me.

“The people who I know who have changed recently have changed because of Brexit and the mess the UK government have made of Brexit and because they want to remain in a European country.

“Because we’re in this and have been in this period of terrible political uncertainty and there are a lot of people out there who are swithering, and I don’t blame folk for that at all.”

The National:

Among the names on the list is Jamie MacDougall, above, the singer and presenter of BBC Scotland’s Last Night of the Proms coverage. It’s thought this is the first time he has made his support for independence public. Author Alan Spence is also on the list.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to request powers for a second referendum under Section 30 of the Scotland Act before the end of the year.

She has said she would like to have the vote in the autumn of 2020 and her government's Referendums Bill is currently steering its way through Holyrood.

What the declaration says: 

It is the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs (A Claim of Right for Scotland, 1989)

Guiding principles for a new and better Scotland

• It is the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs, now and in the future. In all political deliberations, decisions and actions their interests should be paramount.

• Scotland should be an open and democratic society in which no individual is excluded, oppressed or discriminated against on account of their race, colour, faith, origin or place of birth, physical or mental capacity, sex, sexuality, gender or language.

• Scotland should have a written constitution which clearly lays out the rights of its citizens, the country’s system of government and the relationships that exist between government, its instruments and powers and the rights of individual citizens.

• Scotland should take its place as an independent country on the world stage, free to join international organisations and alliances for purposes of trade and commerce, and for the protection and care of the planet’s natural environment, without which the human race cannot survive.

• Scotland should uphold internationally acknowledged values of non-aggression and self-defence, and should refuse to maintain, stock or use, for itself or on behalf of any other power or government, chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction.

The National:

• There should be clear separation of the powers of the Scottish parliament and government (the executive). The judiciary should be completely independent of government.

• Independence will provide an opportunity to review and, where necessary, change the systems of both national and local government, in order to make them more accountable to the people and more beneficial to their needs.

• Ownership of land, property and natural resources should be subject to open and democratic scrutiny. The ability of communities, both rural and urban, to own the land in and on which they exist should be enhanced and extended. There should be total transparency in the way property in Scotland is bought, sold or possessed.

• Freedom of speech and action, and the freedom to work, create, buy, sell and do business should adhere to principles of environmental and communal sustainability and responsibility. Profit and economic growth should not be pursued at the expense of the wellbeing of the people or their habitat or that of other people or nations.

• We affirm the values of care, kindness, neighbourliness and generosity of spirit in all our dealings. Such values are the foundation stones of a fair, free and open society where all citizens have the opportunities to lead the best, most fulfilling lives they can.

• It is our belief that the best option now open to the Scottish people is for Scotland to become an independent country.

• The alternative is to accept that Scotland’s fate would remain in the hands of others and that the Scottish people would relinquish their right to decide their own destiny.

Who has signed?

Iain Anderson, broadcaster Peter Arnott, playwright Neal Ascherson, journalist and writer Aly Bain, musician Margaret Bennett, folklorist and singer Robert Black QC, Professor Emeritus of Scots Law Christine Borland, visual artist Stuart Braithwaite, musician Calum Colvin, visual artist Roddy Buchanan, visual artist Stuart Cosgrove (below), writer and broadcaster.

The National:

Writer and broadcaster Brian Cox, actor Robert Crawford, writer Sir Tom Devine, Professor Emeritus of Scottish History Lari Don, writer Jenni Fagan, writer Rt. Rev. Richard Holloway, writer and broadcaster Robert Hodgens, musician Kathleen Jamie, poet and writer Jamie Jauncey, writer A.L. Kennedy, writer Liz Lochhead, poet, playwright, former Makar Val McDermid, writer Jamie MacDougall, singer and broadcaster Lorraine Mackintosh, actor and singer Dr. Dolina Maclennan, writer and broadcaster Aonghas MacNeacail, poet and broadcaster Dr. Ann Matheson, literary historian Karen Matheson, singer Alexander Moffat, artist Jemma Neville, writer Andrew O’Hagan, writer Aidan O’Rourke, musician and composer Don Paterson, poet Karine Polwart, musician and writer Eddi Reader (below), singer.

The National:

Prof. Alan Riach, poet and academic James Robertson, writer Donald Shaw, musician, composer and producer Ross Sinclair, visual artist Donald Smith, storyteller Elaine C. Smith, actor Alan Spence, writer Will Storrar, minister and academic Gerda Stevenson, writer and actor Sheena Wellington, singer Prof. Gary West, musician and broadcaster Ruth Wishart, journalist and broadcaster.