Holyrood

The people of Scotland should abandon their "fatalist tendency", according to a book published by a top think tank.

Released on Monday, "Scotland 2020" from Demos calls for the public to become more "future literate".

It argues that a common theme in existing visions of Scotland's future is "a marked sense of fatalism".

The book springs from a series of events held across Scotland last year at which members of the public were encouraged to give their own thoughts about the future of their communities.

The events demonstrated both an appetite and an aptitude among the public for thinking long-term about the future of their community and country, said Demos.

The future's bright

"There's a fatalist tendency in Scotland that stops people seeing ways to change their own lives and their communities," said the book's editors, Gerry Hassan and Eddie Gibb.

"However, we think there is an emerging vision of a hopeful Scotland, which could help revive our political culture.

"Scotland needs to learn to be both optimistic and realistic if it is to be confident about its future.

"People who are 'future literate' can think more imaginatively about the future and are more likely to do something about it."

They added that the Scottish people "are way ahead of politicians in thinking creatively about their future".

"We believe that developing the public's capacity for futures thinking is an essential ingredient in the renewal of Scottish political culture," they said.

Formally launched by Scottish parliament presiding officer George Reid at an event in Edinburgh on Wednesday, the book contains essays and dialogues by authors Tom Nairn, Tom Devine, Carol Craig and Iain McLean.