Looks Like Jimmy K Is Putting Scotland Through It Again.....

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37634338
Phase 2 of the "independence" neverendum!

[naomi24]

divebuddy, that's my thinking.

[EDDIE51]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14594958.Independent_Scotland_joining_EU_could_be_part_of_Brexit__quot_package_deal_quot_/

[naomi24]

Eddie, that's hardly an invitation from the EU commission.

[ToraToraTora]

" ...could be adapted...." - so it's fluid is it? PMSL - are the regs on everything else also adaptable, WALOHS!

[naomi24]

Eddie makes it up as he goes along.

[EDDIE51]

Nicola Sturgeon has been quoted as saying she has had talks with the EU about Scotland joining as a independent nation and the response was 'favorable'.
Yes, I know she is hardly unbiased !

[EDDIE51]

Bit more on the subject here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36619907
From what I read it is far from clear if there is a chance for Scotland to remain as an EU member, but it holds out the possibility.
I think a more possible option is that an independent Scotland is 'fast tracked' back into the EU as a former member. All this is of course speculative as it has never been done.( nor has a state triggering A50 of course)

[jim360]

I think this is massively premature, but all the same the possibility of the UK breaking up at the same time as or soon after it leaves the EU is surprisingly real, and I find that sad.

[EDDIE51]

^ My thoughts entirely Jim.

[naomi24]

Eddie. Get real. When she trotted off for her important talks with Europe, they were nothing more than polite to her. A complete embarrassment!

[EDDIE51]

^ naomi, for the first time I can see a very real possibility that the UK will split up.
I think that will be a terrible situation that has consequences far beyond ' in or out ' of the EU !
TTT will no doubt put it all down to 'sour grapes' but it is far more than that.

[naomi24]

Eddie, that will be Scotland's choice. The rest of us will survive without them.

[anneasquith]

Nicola sturgeon has said many times there would be no referendum unless the SNP are as positive they would win.

[vulcan42]

There was a Scottish spokesman on the radio this morning, I didn't hear his name, who's already left the UK. He said Scotlands government will discuss with the UK government regarding Brexit.

[jim360]

"The rest of us will survive without them."

I'm sure that's true, but England shorn of EU membership and broken with Scotland would be a far smaller country, and I don't see how that would leave anyone better off.

[EDDIE51]

We may survive naomi, but the UK as a whole will be the worse for it.
anneasquith, I have been watching Sturgeon on TV and have no doubt she is deadly serious in her quest for a second referendum , it will come, of that I am sure.

[naomi24]

Jim, //shorn of EU membership //

That's a bit dramatic. The rest of us won't be 'shorn' of EU membership. We've decided to leave the club of our own volition. No one is shearing anything from us.

//I don't see how that would leave anyone better off. //

We'll be fine. Not sure about the Scots though.

[anneasquith]

Eddie. I think she has to be serious, she is the leader of the Scottish National Party.

[jim360]

I guess it rather depends on your definition of "fine" -- although, granted, it would take some doing for Scotland to be better off in most cases.

For myself, I think that posing the question of Scottish Independence again has to be at the very least conditional on the details of Brexit -- since these aren't known, jumping ship now or planning to seems way too early. Even waiting until the Government reveals its hand is premature -- it's a given that the two-year period will have some amount of give-and-take so what May intends to do and what will happen aren't going to be the same.

I guess there's no harm in a consultation, but I can't see any sense in holding a second referendum until Scotland has had a chance to see what Brexit means in practice. Which to my mind means about five years after it's finished, ie 2024. Anything before then probably ends up just compounding whatever problems that led to the early referendum in the first place, adding to the instability and so on.