The game changes

SOME of the recurring debates within Scottish politics have a ritualistic flavour to them, with the pros and cons familiar to all involved. One such debate is whether a newly independent Scotland would be able, automatically, to become a full member of the European Union.

However, the letter from Chris Bryant, Labour's minister for Europe, which we highlight today in our news pages, is a game-changer. Mr Bryant has pointed to two hitherto unnoticed clauses in the Lisbon Treaty that set conditions for potential new entrants into the EU club. Both have potential consequences for SNP policy on splitting from the United Kingdom.

The first dictates that an applicant country must meet the criteria for adoption of the euro. In the past, criteria included a limit on how much national debt the country was carrying. The UK debt currently dwarfs that of many EU countries. An independent Scotland would inherit its fair share of that liability. Would this make Scotland an unsatisfactory candidate for adopting the euro, and hence joining the EU?

The second condition is that the applicant country must meet the criteria for joining the Schengen group – the bloc of EU counties on mainland Europe that have removed their border controls. Such a move has been resisted by Britain and Ireland. This, says Mr Bryant, "would lead to the establishment of new border controls between England and Scotland." A warning? Or mischief-making? Whichever, a new front has just opened up in the election campaign.