July 31, 2013
A society based on sharing more
Whichever way the vote goes at next year’s referendum, there is a growing belief that the very process of debating what Scotland’s future might be, will in itself, lead to important change. One project – The Common Weal – is attracting interest from many quarters and not only from the Yes camp. The Common Weal aims to explore a vision for Scotland based on the simple premise that to build a better society we need to build a more sharing society. The project hopes to become a repository for fresh thinking.
31/07/13
The Common Weal website
Common Weal is an emerging movement which is developing a vision for economic and social development in Scotland which is distinct and different from the political orthodoxy that dominates politics and economics in London.
It is based on the conviction that we will get better outcomes for both society and individuals if we emphasise mutuality and equity rather than conflict and inequality.
All of this can be captured in one simple phrase: to build more we must share more.
It comes from the old Scots term, which carries the meanings of both ‘shared wealth’ and ‘our wellbeing is common to us all’. These values are strong both in Scottish history and in contemporary Scottish life.
Many people who support a Common Weal vision support independence, but some don’t. The aim is to create a programme for the economic and social transformation of Scotland. That programme will outline what powers are needed to achieve change and where they are held. It is then for others to explain how they would achieve this vision in their preferred constitutional outcome.