NICOLA Sturgeon has welcomed a far-reaching policy document by a left-wing think tank that sets out a new vision for the country.
The 130-page book is the culmination of the 18-month Common Weal project started by the Jimmy Reid Foundation.
It says an independent Scotland can disengage from the UK's "Me-First" politics and become a wealthier, healthier, more equal and more democratic country.
Proposals include a shift to a high-skill, high-pay economy supported by public loans and investment, a living wage, a 30-hour working week, worker reps on company boards, collective ownership of key assets such as National Grid, green energy projects and the railways, and a return to small-scale "boring banking" to prevent another crash.
An expanded welfare state would deliver universal public services, a massive expansion in affordable housing, and the conversion of benefits, tax credits and pensions into a universal Citizens' Income guaranteeing a minimum income.
The book says the move to a high-skill economy with higher wages would produce the extra tax revenues to pay for the new policies.
The Deputy First Minister said: "As the Common Weal publication makes clear, Scotland is ready for change, and independence is the only way to secure a better future for the people of Scotland.
"Our vision is of a Scotland founded on the fundamental principles of equality and human rights and characterised by economic suc-cess and social justice, giving people control over the decisions which affect them."
Economist Professor Mike Danson of Heriot-Watt Uni-versity said: "We have the people, resources and opportunities to create a much better future."
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