Aims

The primary aims of the Constitutional Commission are four-fold:-

To ensure that any proposals for constitutional developments that affect Scotland are fully debated and decided in Scotland.
To examine how the proposals of the Power Inquiry for more participative governance could be implemented in Scotland.
To clarify the constitutional implications of various forms of relationship with other countries of the UK.
To prepare the broad outline of a draft Constitution for Scotland.

The Scottish Constitutional Commission
In 1995 the Scottish Constitutional Convention presented “Scotland’s Parliament, Scotland’s Right” to the people of Scotland. That led directly to the devolution referendum and the Parliament at Holyrood. The eleven or so years since have seen many changes, some of them for the better. However, contrary to the expectations of many, devolution has not diminished the desire for more autonomy for Scotland. When this is coupled with a corresponding desire south of the border for “English votes for English matters”, there can be little doubt that both Scotland and the UK are in constitutional crisis.
Kenyon Wright and John Drummond celebrate the launch of the Constitutional Commission
Kenyon Wright and John Drummond celebrate the launch of the Constitutional Commission
The Scottish General Election was dominated by the constitutional debate, and there are compelling reasons for a fundamental rethink about Scotland’s constitutional future. The political process is inadequate and inappropriate for such a major rethink, partly because it tends to be self-serving and opportunistic, but also because it has not shown itself able to think constitutionally and strategically, which is precisely the kind of thinking that Scotland most needs at this point in her history. The time has come for a very different kind of debate about Scotland’s constitutional future, a debate that is not controlled or dominated by politicians or the usual suspects. That is why we are taking steps to establish a Constitutional Commission for Scotland.  Before saying more about the Commission, it is worth outlining briefly why we felt it necessary to set it up. There are five compelling reasons for doing so.
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In search of British values

By Tom Nairn - An extract from a feature in Prospect Magazine, October 2007

Since Gordon Brown’s appearance as United Kingdom premier, assorted premonitions have surfaced in the gloom. Britlanders now inhabit a haunted house on the edge of a cemetery, where such terminology seems appropriate. Brown was not of course elected or installed by an indignant mob: over many years he materialised in fits and starts, glimpsed intermittently like a ghost from times past, brooding but saying almost nothing. Then suddenly the spirit was there, seated all too comfortably in the Anglo-Brit living room, account books and Britannic sermons to hand. The armchair’s previous occupant had left for Jerusalem.
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Principles and Guidelines for a Constitution for Scotland

These principles aim to incorporate the Key Principles enunciated by the Consultative Steering Group, together with the Claim of Right on which the 1990’s Constitutional Convention was based, and the work done by various groups since, re-formulated for the 21st century. They represent a draft for comment and further development, and were originally submitted to The National Conversation website in mid-August 2007. They could be summarised as:

LIBERTY, EQUALITY, DEMOCRACY, ACCOUNTABILITY, PARTICIPATION, CO-OPERATION  and  SUSTAINABILITY. 
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Constitutional Commission Blog
Welcome to the Constitutional Commission blog. Make this the place where you contribute to the thinking on all constitutional matters in Scotland.

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Constitutional Commission Statement, 16 August 2007

Commenting on the Referendum White Paper in the Guardian on 14th August, Ian MacWhirter states: “Where the SNP proposal falls down is not in its open-mindedness, which is quite sincere, but in the way its national conversation is to be conducted. It is being offered as a kind of consultation exercise with no clear destination or procedure. It is not clear what happens at the end of it, nor who will decide how the results of the consultation are to be assessed. This is important because the 1989 cross-party Scottish constitutional convention, which led the last national conversation about devolution, had the authority to draft a constitutional blueprint which became the Scottish parliament. There is no comparable body to conduct the task this time. The SNP govern alone, and Alex Salmond will decide what the conversation means.” 
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