Scottish & UK Public Sector: Impact of Independence

On September 18th, Scotland, in the Scottish Referendum, will make a decision that will have a profound effect on the future of the whole United Kingdom. Recent polls have revealed that the potential for Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland, to win the right to Scottish Independence is now greater than we had perhaps assumed. A YouGov poll this week shows that the ‘No’ camp is now just six points ahead of the ‘Yes’ camp; excluding ‘don’t knows’, 53% of those questioned planned to vote no and 47% planned to vote ‘yes’.

TechMarketView’s current market forecasts for the UK public sector SITS market, and our forecasts for the Scottish public sector SITS market, assume the status quo in terms of the relationship between Scotland and the rest of the UK. However, as the gap between the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaign narrows, it is appropriate to consider the potential implications of Scottish Independence. Although a win for the "Yes" campaign could result in a flood of opportunities for some UK SITS suppliers, it could also result in several years of turmoil, uncertainty and politicking that could be harmful to all.

Ways to access this research