Scots in Europe

NICOLA Sturgeon has told her growing band of restless followers: “If we find ourselves being taken out of Europe against our will I think it is beyond any doubt that people will at least want to consider again the question of independence.”

In my view, borrowing the line from John McEnroe, “You can’t be serious”, would be an appropriate response to her claim. Why?

For starters, she should explain how Scotland could apply for full membership when our fiscal deficit is too high (worst out of the 34 OECD countries) to meet the fiscal criteria demand by the EU and it would take years of Greek-style austerity as an independent country to put right – all due to our high spending habits.

Another aspect never discussed by the SNP is the fact that our biggest trading partner by far is the rest of the UK by a factor of five to one compared with the EU.

So we can conclude that the SNP policy is to ditch our lucrative major internal UK market and attempt to protect the self-serving external market in Europe – all in the name of nationalism.

The idea that Scotland forced into years of uncertainty could somehow prosper seamlessly outside the EU and the UK for an indeterminate period is beyond belief and stupid – especially without having declared in advance an intermediate currency prior to having to adopt the Euro.

Little wonder Nicola Sturgeon is intent on passing the buck and claiming it will be the Scottish people who will decide about another referendum and hoping against hope the UK will vote to remain in the EU so her empty rhetoric will not be put to the test.

Ian Lakin

Murtle Den Road

Aberdeen