Cunning Plan

[Workingman]

From what I could gather the other day Sturgeon could hold her own referendum within Scotland, but as it would not be an officially UK sponsored referendum it would carry no weight in Intrernational law. I might be wrong, but that was how it came across.

What she could probably do with it, if it was transparent and both sides got equal air time and finance etc. is take the result down to Westminster and try to make a case for it to become law or for another UK sponsored Scottish Independence referendum to take place. Whether the UK would be open to any of that is to be debated.

Where she has other problems is with timing and EU accession. If Brexit is not complete yet Scotland gains independence it would not automatically stay in the EU. That was made plain over the weekend by the EU. If it applied to join, and somehow jumped the queue, the UK, still a member, would most likely veto entry. So might Spain.

If Brexit is completed and Scotland gets independence, and gets entry to the EU, it would have no choice but to adopt the Euro and join Schengen, among many other things. The UK would almost certainly then have to impose border controls. I know that when Brexit is finalised the UK will have a land border with the EU via NI - Ireland, and it is expected that a treaty to keep that border 'borderless' will come into force. The reason for that being the case is that Ireland, as with the UK, is not in Schengen. Scotland in Schengen changes the game.

The whole thing is a bloody mess, but that is what was voted for and we have to get on with things as best we can.

Sorry Suff, I was composing as you posted, but our ideas seem roughly the same.

[Suff]

Sorry Suff, I was composing as you posted, but our ideas seem roughly the same.

Bound to happen. Mrs S and I were talking about a Scottish exit from the UK and entry into the EU and we're both agreed that it would trigger a physical land border between England and Scotland. Something, I believe, most Scots would not want. But it could not be avoided. Also Schengen would flood Scotland with EU people looking to get in on the higher wages and comprehensive benefits. The NHS and government funds would collapse and they would have to take defensive measures.

People in the UK have no clue how restrictive the rest of the EU is to Schengen workers. Our open aspect on workers would crush Scotland in no time. I'm always in favour of independence for Scotland but Staying in the EU and joining the Euro would be insanity.

However I'd still accept that based on the fact that it would, within a few years, force Scotland out again.

There hasn't been a wealthy EU country join the EU since Maastricht. The closest was Switzerland joining Schengen and the damage that has done to their employment is huge. There is a massive move in Switzerland to throw Schengen out for exactly these reasons. People flock to money and, compared to Eastern Europe Switzerland is rolling in it. So is the UK....