History of Scottish devolution

The decision of the Parliament of Scotland to ratify the Treaty of Union in 1707 was not unanimous and from that time, individuals and organisations have advocated the return of a Scottish Parliament. Some have argued for devolution a Scottish Parliament within the United Kingdom whereas others have advocated complete independence. The people of Scotland first got the opportunity to vote in a referendum on proposals for devolution in 1979 and though a majority of those voting voted Yes, the referendum legislation also required 40% of the electorate to vote Yes for the plans to be enacted. A second referendum opportunity in 1997, this time on a strong prososal, resulted in an overwhelming Yes victory, leading to the Scotland Act 1998 being passed and the Scottish Parliament being established in 1999. Since then, additional powers have been devolved, and the Calman Commission is considering whether additional powers should be transferred. The Scottish referendum bill 2010 is set tobe debated in the Scottish Parliament in order to allow a referendum on independence to be held in Scotland in November 2010