“Dear the EU…”
It’s one of the defining mysteries of the independence debate so far. The Scottish Government says that an independent Scotland would remain an EU member at all times before, during and after the process of dissolving the UK, with the precise terms being negotiated. The UK Government, meanwhile, insists that Scotland would be thrown out of the EU and have to reapply for membership.
The EU has said it’s happy to settle this dispute, but only on receipt of a request from the UK Government to issue a definitive position. The Scottish Government has urged the UK Government to do so, but the UK Government refuses, despite its professed confidence in its view and the huge propaganda victory that would presumably result.
We can only assume that the UK Government is too busy to write the letter, occupied as it is with destroying the British economy and society. So as a helpful time-saving gesture of goodwill and in the interests of informed debate, we’ve done it for them.
We’re even happy to put a stamp on it, pop out (we need milk anyway) and stick it in the postbox ourselves. Just say the word, Prime Minister.
“We’re even happy to put a stamp on it, pop out (we need milk anyway) and stick it in the postbox ourselves. Just say the word, Prime Minister.”
LOL, shows just how hard a job it would be for Dave to clarify.
I just love that wee touch, with the LOL at the end.
They already have the answer in a concise and erudite paper prepared for the Foreign Affairs committee.
link to publications.parliament.uk
They just don’t want anyone to know.
Fact is, this nonsense about the EU could be ended overnight with such a letter from Davey boy, yet despite the fact this would hand a killer crush to the YES campaign, he refuses to do so.
We can all only wonder why??????
Perhaps there’s a story in the FT (28 October 2012: Independent Scotland Faces EU Application – link to ft.com) that slipped past under the radar.
The FT’s man in Brussels is presumably the source for this: “Mr Salmond could still pull it off, according to some EU officials, if Scotland agreed to a passive membership, which would give it access to the bloc’s single market but not a seat at the EU Council, the club of heads of state that meet regularly to decide on key union matters. Scotland could then apply for a full membership, which could take several years, but in the meantime it would not be forced to leave the union.”
Hardly realistic!
Theres no mention of the concessions on fishing, dirt cheap access to sustainable energy or scotchland available for dumping nuclear effluent available – you know – just to ensure Brussels gives the question its complete inattention.
Embradon,
Yes, and here is the key point from that document;
“Scotland’s 5 million people, having been members of the EU for 40 years; have acquired rights as European citizens
· For practical and political reasons they could not be asked to leave the EU and apply for readmission
· Negotiations on the terms of membership would take place in the period between the referendum and the planned date of independence
· The EU would adopt a simplified procedure for the negotiations, not the traditional procedure followed for the accession of non-member countries”
When are BBC Scotland, with Raymond Buchanan leading the charge, going to ambush Cameron and ask for the British Government’s advice on the EU, then completely misrepresent what he said after the said ambush, and not acknowledge his letter of clarification either? Oh I forgot they would never think of putting the No campaign under any sustained scrutiny, and treat the two sides equally…
Or we could all vote NO and hope England votes YES in the EU referendum….The duplicity of the 3 main London parties on EU and Scotland I find breathtaking.
I received the following email last Friday in response to my queries to Barroso. Like most organisations its official response failed to address my actual points so I still intend to pursue the matter. It would appear that their stock answer is that only Cameron can clarify the situation.
——————
Thank you very much for your email addressed to President Barroso. I appreciate your strong interest in being able to make an informed choice in the debate on Scottish independence.
The ongoing democratic process is a matter for the UK and Scottish Governments and the Scottish people. It is not for the European Commission to express a position on questions of internal organisation related to the constitutional arrangements of any particular Member State.
The Commission has expressed its views in general terms in response to several parliamentary questions from Members of the European Parliament.
It stated the following: It is not the role of the Commission to express a position on questions of internal organisation related to the constitutional arrangements in the Member States. Concerning certain scenarios such as the separation of one part of a Member State or the creation of a new State, these would not be neutral as regards the EU Treaties. The Commission would express its opinion on the legal consequences under EU law, on request from a Member State detailing a precise scenario. Concerning the general question of the accession of States to the European Union, the Commission recalls that this must be fully in line with the rules and procedures foreseen by the EU Treaties.
I am afraid that at the present stage I am therefore not in a position to be able to provide any further comments in relation to the specific issues you raised in your letter.
Yours sincerely,
MÁRIO TENREIRO
Head of Unit
European Commission
Secretariat-General
Unit G.4 “General Institutional issues”
BERL 07/339
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
+32 2 295 13 67
i dunno lol 😛
@Cuphook
Surley it is within the Scotland office’s remit to act in the best interests of Scotland with this matter, could they get an answer? Could they be forced? Also I was looking at the Council of Europes ‘Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities’ looking for loopholes, as we could be viewed as national minorities within the UK. Maybe someone out there can find it i.e. Broadcasting (I’m aware we signed a lot of these rights away with the union, or maybe I’m wrong)
I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again. No Scotland are being set up for a big fall on this issue.
‘Honestly Alastair, we won’t release the advice; I can assure you of that. We’re all for the union old chap. Really we are.’
‘Erm, ok Dave. You’re sure? We can keep bashing the Nats with it then? You’re not playing tricks on us are you?’
‘No not at all Alastair – how could you think that of us, your new best pals, the Tories’.
Surely the elephant in the room is the conservatives own commitment to an EU referendum and the very real possibility of UK withdrawal from the EU? Even now they seek to renegotiate the return of significant powers. Where have I heard these arguments before?
Any roads up as the Rev has pointed out, why not drop em a line and see what they say? Unless of course they know the answer already? Could it be that document HC643 really does give us the most likely outcome?
link to bellacaledonia.org.uk
The EU ‘thingy’ the No camp have at the moment is just last years Royal Bank of Scotland’s bail out ‘thingy’ they had last year. They huffed and puffed about it until it was no longer credible (IMHO).
Most folk I know want out the EU but keep the free trade etc. I am still undecided, but the more I here of the EU’s unwillingness to say it straight the more I agree with them.
Am l missing a trick here, did Cameron announce future negotiations on the eu because he knows the rUK will have to, (along with Scotland), when Scotland votes yes.
sorry folks – should read the more I ‘hear’ of Eu’s unwillingness
O/T Padre but I think in the second para of your letter you have hit on the answer to a question raised in a thread a few days ago as to how we should refer to the naysayers.
If Dave is happycaller fear to rUK ‘remnant UK’ then the naysayers are obviously ‘remnants’!
That way, if they really annoy us we can hold a remnant sale….. Grahamski take note. 🙂
I quite like that. ” Remnant UK” With the naysayers being ” Remnantistas”.
An alternative suggestion for the R, how about the Remonstrant UK? Supported by “Remonstrados”. Too dynamic sounding perhaps?
Take a leaf out of link to en.wikipedia.org‘s book Rev, post the letter, they probably wont notice!
“Take a leaf out of link to en.wikipedia.org book Rev, post the letter, they probably wont notice!”
The thought had occurred to me 😀
I don’t know if anyone else watched this but it’s the Foreign affairs committee session from Edinburgh dealing with the ‘Foreign Policy Implications of and for a Separate Scotland‘.It’s dated the 28th of January but it took a few days for it to be posted on the Parliament TV site.
I am half an hour in and it has dealt almost exclusively with Scotlands status as either a successor or secession state and it’s relevance to the EU.
link to parliamentlive.tv
Excellent, Rev…ROFLMAO!!
You need to also ask them what an independent Scotland’s position would be if the UK vote to leave the EU before independence.