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September 05, 2007
Leaving and Devolution
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard asks:
Would Britain’s exit from the EU set off the disintegration of the United Kingdom, pitting England against Scotland?
Well, we can hope, can't we?
September 5, 2007 in European Union | Permalink
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Comments
Surely it's the other way round? Scottish independence means the end of the legal entity known as the United Kingdom, requiring the consituent parts of the former country to re-apply for EU membership - or not, if they so wish?
Posted by: Mr Eugenides | Sep 5, 2007 11:22:11 AM
"Well, we can hope, can't we?"
Yes!
Posted by: Mark Wadsworth | Sep 5, 2007 12:25:42 PM
Another hypothetical question; if England exited the EU and scotland moved forward would we then still be liable to have to pay for all their new legislation, such as paying for scottish students to go to university whilst english and foreign students are forced to pay?
Posted by: Thom247 | Sep 5, 2007 12:27:25 PM
I noticed in the papers today a survey about quality of life shows the UK has moved down AGAIN. Guess what country is in First Place?
.
.
.
Norway. In Europe but NOT IN THE EU.
Nothing bad could come from leaving the fucking EU, nothing. Most of the things which are wrong with this country are down to the EU and we can do NOTHING about them all the time we stay shackled to it..
We should immediately withdraw and renegotiate a free-trade agreement with what's left of EU.
Posted by: Zorro | Sep 5, 2007 1:19:52 PM
Zorro - do you not think the fact that Norway generates annual oil revenues equivalent to £10,000 per person (which it only started doing after establishing education and the rule of law) might *just about* have *some tiny* impact on its standard of living?
Posted by: john b | Sep 5, 2007 1:57:53 PM
Foreign students aren't forced to pay, Thom247. Tuition fees are being scrapped from 2009 and Scottish and EU students will receive free university education in Scotland.
English students, on the other hand...
Posted by: Mr Eugenides | Sep 5, 2007 3:11:44 PM
For the second time today, I find that John B has made exactly the point that I was going to make.
Posted by: Mark Wadsworth | Sep 5, 2007 4:42:37 PM
Then your standards are slipping, Mark.
Posted by: dearieme | Sep 5, 2007 10:47:26 PM
Guess what country is in First Place?
Norway.
If a country where sales of alcohol are severely restricted and prices are eye watering can be considered to have the best quality of life, then the research is severely flawed.
Posted by: Serf | Sep 6, 2007 2:11:32 PM
Another hypothetical question: if Scottish Oil is making a s much money as the people in the Offshore Europe 2007 Conference say they are (see http://1820.org.uk) then how much money would England lose in subsidies when Scotland becomes independent?
Posted by: Gus A | Sep 6, 2007 3:52:13 PM
Depends on how much north sea gas is worth.
The oil may be north of the border but the gas is south (which always seems to get forgotten). If the gas is worth about as much as the oil then England is subsidising Scotland. If the oil is worth more the gas then that subsidy decreases until it maybe that Scotland is not being subsidised or the subsidy might even be going the other way.
Posted by: chris | Sep 6, 2007 6:18:00 PM
