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“We didn’t vote for it up here, and it feels like England is pulling us out of Europe regardless of the consequences. It’s made me realize that the differences between the two countries might be more than skin-deep, so I’m definitely weighing up whether Scotland is safer going in a different direction.”
EU membership hurdles
But while Brexit has undoubtedly invigorated the nationalist cause, it also presents challenges. In 2014, the SNP’s argument was greatly simplified by Britain’s European Union membership: An independent Scotland would simply rejoin, and by virtue of England’s place in the European community, border issues would be moot.
Brexit: Scottish independence back in the spotlight
As the United Kingdom inches closer to a no-deal Brexit, the arguments around independence in pro-EU Scotland are gathering pace.
With Brexit talks sputtering, though not quite dead, the specter of tariffs, travel restrictions, and towering economic uncertainty looms large over Europe. From Berlin to Brussels, Belfast and beyond, leaders are scrambling to shore up no-deal contingencies, finessing plans many hoped would never see the light of day.
Yet, in one corner of the continent, a quiet sense of satisfaction simmers.
Officially, Scotland s pro-independence government wants an agreement: The country s exporters are as exposed to economic turbulence as any. But there s little doubt the collapse of negotiations would aid a secessionist narrative four years in the making.