ABSTRACT
Social justice and fairness are the hallmarks of Scottish Society. Donald Dewar, first minister at the first session of Scottish Parliament, May 1999 An independent Scotland could be a beacon of progressive opinion addressing policy challenges in ways which reflect the universal values of fairness. In addition to an investment in social housing that is at odds with rest of the UK, Scottish citizens also benefit from homelessness social policies which are arguably more progressive than the rest of the UK. Scotland's historically different education system and policy is arguably an important part of its national identity and a distinctive part of why Scotland maintains rhetoric of fairness and difference in social policy. Scotland lacks control over macro-economic and social security policy, which means it does not have access to social policy levers to effect significant change in its labour market. Scotland famously suffers from persistent health inequalities, both in mortality and morbidity, compared to the rest of the UK.
