Scot Separatists Publish Plans for Independence

The August lull in British politics has given way to a national debate on an unexpected topic: Scottish independence. The separatist leader of Scotland's regional parliament has published a white paper outlining plans for a referendum and suggesting features of an independent Scotland: its own army, its own EU membership, and especially its own governance of huge North Sea oil reserves.

A referendum remains unlikely, but the Edinburgh parliament hopes to pressure London to grant it more powers, particularly for taxation. The white paper is a challenge for Gordon Brown, the UK's first Scottish prime minister in decades, whom Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond continues to needle: earlier this year he fought and won an election in a constituency pointedly named Gordon.