The 28

The 28 are detailed analyses of the main domestic challenges facing Scotland.

They cover how government works in daily life: health, education, justice, housing, energy, the economy, infrastructure, rural and island communities, and the public services that must function whether or not the constitutional argument is resolved.

Each piece is written as policy analysis. They are not slogans, campaign promises, or a party programme. They are an attempt to state, in public and in enough detail to be tested, what good government in these areas would require, what can already be done, and where the limits actually are.

Why they exist

Scottish debate is often conducted at the level of aspiration. The 28 are written at the level of delivery.

A position that cannot say what would change, who would do it, with which powers, and under which constraints is not a position that can be scrutinised. These pieces exist so that the domestic argument can be read in the same spirit as the Independence Debate: continuity-first, rules-based, and open to challenge.

They should be read alongside that series. The 28 deal with the work of government. The Independence Debate covers the constitutional, monetary, and institutional questions that would arise if Scotland left the United Kingdom. One does not replace the other.

How each piece is written

Every item follows the same structure.

Current reality
The facts as they stand: performance, funding, legal position, and the experience of the people who use the service or live with the outcome.

What needs to happen
The practical improvement that would make a material difference. This is stated as an analysis of need and method, not as a pledge.

What can be done under current powers
The levers already available to the Scottish Government, Parliament and public bodies. Where a change is possible now, that is said plainly.

Where the limits are
Reserved powers, money, capacity, time, geography, and any other constraint that would still exist after a speech. Limits are not treated as optional.

Honest summary
A short assessment of what is achievable, what is not, and what would have to change before the rest became possible.

How they are marked

Each piece carries a simple colour mark. It is an assessment of powers and constraints, not a score for virtue.

Green — largely achievable under Scotland’s existing powers
Yellow — partly achievable, but with significant constraints or dependencies
Red — requires reserved powers, or a wider change in the constitutional settlement

A red mark is not an argument for independence by itself. It states that the current division of powers is a hard limit on that item. A green mark is not a claim that the work is easy. It claims the main barrier is not the constitution.

How they should be read

Read them as working papers.

They are intended to be checked against evidence, against later events, and against the daily Commentary. If the facts move, the analysis should move. If a constraint was understated, that should be said. The value of the series is not that it is complete on day one. It is that it is specific enough to be wrong in public.

All 28 are free to read. Members can comment on each piece and submit questions for the Independence Debate.

The 28 items are published individually below.

What the pattern shows: The 28 🟢🟡🔴