In 2016 nearly two thirds of Scottish voters backed Remain. Since then the margin has only grown.
An independent Scotland could rejoin the EU, regain our individual rights as European citizens, and have our own seat at the table to work with our friends across the continent.
@ScottishGreens what makes you think the EU would have you anymore than it would have the rest of Britain back. This ridiculous level of exceptionalism is what leads to disasters like Brexit.
@Wil @ScottishGreens
Because they've said so? Based on the fact that Scotland voted remain, & popular opinion has consistently been to rejoin.
@HighlandLawyer @ScottishGreens in Scotland it has, but what are the polls in Europe saying about whether they want to reexpand into the British Iles? Its not a deal that’s on the table right now and won’t be for years.
@Wil @ScottishGreens
MEPs have consistently said an independent Scotland would be welcomed back to the EU. But that can't be a "deal on the table" unless and until Scotland chooses independence.
@HighlandLawyer @ScottishGreens which is why Starmer saying it is unlikely to happen in his lifetime is a sensible thing to say. Unless you want Scotland to crash out of the UK like the UK crashed out of the EU?
@Wil @ScottishGreens
The UK (or the Tory govt at least) *chose* to "crash out" of the EU. So Scotland could quite easily leave the UK in short timespan without "crashing out". That's even assuming it would not be a mutually agreed ending of the UK.
And it's not a sensible thing for Starmer to say, unless he doesn't expect to live more than a decade, especially as it pisses off people for no reason. "Within the lifetime of the next Parliament" would be much more sensible.
@HighlandLawyer @ScottishGreens Scotland holds all the cards in the negotiation?
I do agree in the life of the parliament would be more sensible.
What I think he will do is start to negotiate small bilateral agreements with the EU on small things to make us not being a member of the single market not quite so painful and then it will be a good 20 years of demographic change before anyone is willing to reopen the argument.
@Wil @ScottishGreens
Care to wager whether the UK will still exist in its current form in 20 years time? It might, but I don't think the odds are in its favour.
@HighlandLawyer @ScottishGreens well depends on what you mean by current form…I hope it’s not such a narrow minded, short sighted nation obsessed with a pretend memory of a time that never was.
I hope that Scotland and Wales are still part of the UK though - it seems a paradox to want to split it up but then join the EU. Hopefully if we can get Westminster to be less useless the impetus for Scotland to leave goes down. I totally get why they would now, I would be keen for Sussex to split away if it meant the end of Tories ruining it.
@Wil @ScottishGreens
At the very least I am doubtful whether NI will still be part of the UK in 20 years. Scotland, well let's see how people feel in 5 years time...
Of course the best method to stop Scottish independence would be to bring in proper federalisation of the UK, but since that's been routinely discussed at Westminster then put aside periodically since 1860s, I doubt that's going to happen.
@HighlandLawyer @Wil @ScottishGreens I'd start that journey now. Move Parliament temporarily to the NEC in Birmingham. Westminster desperately needs 10 years of refurbishment, and in that time we can work through electoral reform, and decide whether those ancient buildings fit a 21st century democracy.
