Scotland’s SNP Government is set to present a vision of a “wealthier and fairer” Scotland ahead of next year’s independence referendum.

The 670-page white paper will be launched at an event in Glasgow at 10am.

It is being billed as an “Independence Encyclopaedia” that will contain the answers to the questions surrounding a breakaway from the UK.

The SNP’s opponents, however, insist it will force Scots into a “risky choice” they do not need to make.

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond will unveil the document, entitled Scotland’s Future – Your Guide, which he claims will make it better equipped than any other country at any other time to become independent.

Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told : “This is a document for the people of Scotland; it is their guide to independence, and it will provide both a vision for Scotland’s future and the answers on independence that people have been seeking.

“As part of the guide we will be providing the answers to people’s questions on how we become an independent country, what the opportunities are of independence, how our institutions of government will work and what the benefits can be of a vote for independence.

“Our message to the people of Scotland is simple: read this guide, compare it with any alternative future for Scotland and make up your own mind.”

She added: “This guide to an independent Scotland will set out a vision for Scotland’s future, the ways in which we can use the powers of independence to build a wealthier and fairer Scotland, and ensure that everyone benefits from our natural wealth and talent.

“This guide to independence will move the debate forward from how Scotland can become an independent country to the kind of country we can be.”

Ahead of the document launch at the Glasgow Science Centre, the SNP’s opponents have questioned the case for independence, particularly the SNP’s stated aim to join a currency union with the remainder of the UK it plans to leave behind.

They claim there is no guarantee that the rest of the UK would find that acceptable.

Nor are there any guarantees surrounding the membership of an independent Scotland in the European Union or Nato.

Former chancellor Alistair Darling told : “We can have the best things about being a successful country and the best things about being part of something bigger.

“We simply don’t have to choose between having a strong Scottish Parliament and the strength and security of being part of the United Kingdom. We can have both.

“We can be proudly Scottish and feel a sense of connection to friends and family in the rest of the United Kingdom.

“We can have a distinctive Scottish voice and we can keep the opportunities that come through sharing risks, rewards and resources with one of the biggest economies in the world.”

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