Scotland's future debate 2

MSPs voted to agree that Scotland should be an independent country, after a debate on entitled Scotland's Future on 31 May 2012.

The motion, tabled by First Minister Alex Salmond calling on the parliament to agree Scotland should be independent, was passed with 69 MSPs voting for it and 52 against.

In the second part of the debate Scottish Green Party co-convener called for a clear timeline for a written constitution to be set out in the Scottish government's white paper to be published next year.

Mr Harvie said: "I think it's very clear that as a modern independent state, Scotland will need a written constitution but I want to see it genuinely written by the people, rather than by haggling between Scottish and UK Ministers"

Scottish Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw said Scotland was the equal of "any nation on earth" but said he believed, despite all Scotland's proud tradition, that together with England, with Wales and with Northern Ireland, "the UK is better still than the sum of the individuals within the union".

In closing for the SNP, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this would be the first time ever that the parliament had asked for agreement that Scotland should be an independent country.

Ms Sturgeon said better decisions about Scotland would be taken here in Scotland where the people cared and had the most at stake in the decisions.

The first part of the debate can be viewed below: