Scottish independence: Nicola Sturgeon continues to flog a dead horse that an independent Scotland would not need to sign new EU accession treaty, Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister gets it wrong again and its only Monday!

Dear All

Flogging a dead horse, recently we have seen my little pony end up as my little burger, we sat in disbelief as it sunk in we were scammed.

Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is flogging a dead horse on EU membership and like Horseburgers, people seem reluctant to swallow her product.

As they say ‘Nay chance’!

Her latest piece of legal wisdom is that an independent Scotland would not need to sign a new accession treaty to be a member of the European Union.

As a new state, it would have to sign and it would have to be approved by the other 28 countries, where as a member state can enlarge such as Germany, because it is a matter of internal German politics, if a part was to break away and become another separate state, it would have to start from scratch.

To back up Ms. Sturgeon argument she is not using facts but assumptions to base her argument, she wants a "continuation of the status quo".

And for her benefit, an indy Scotland would be required to do "full-blown accession", if the country votes to leave the UK.

The latest addition to the Yes Salmond camp is Drew Scott, professor of EU studies at Edinburgh University; presumably Salmond and Sturgeon will want him to throw together an argument for them.

But throwing together an argument doesn’t mean it is a water tight case, it is just an argument and just an opinion.

An opinion could turn out to be a fact, but by the same token an opinion could be complete horseshit as well.

Scott will advise ministers on European treaties as they prepare to negotiate the terms of entry into the EU if Scotland votes yes to independence.

Some facts to emerge early on is that Scott is a partner of an SNP MSP Aileen McLeod and he is getting paid for his help, labelled cronyism by opposition parties, cronyism is something which I have blogged on for sometime in the Scottish National Party under the leadership of Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

A party within a party, set up to benefit the few at the expense of the many. 

Ms Sturgeon said:

"There is nothing in any of the European treaties that would provide for a scenario where part of a member state was cast adrift from it, simply because it exercised its democratic right to self-determination. We are going to be simply arguing for a transition from membership as part of the UK to membership as an independent country, but on the same terms as we were a member as part of the UK”.

That won’t happen, apparently Ms. Sturgeon seeks to deny the 28 members of the current EU, their right to veto, so that won’t fly.

She added:

"We`re simply arguing for a continuation of the status quo, so it would require negotiation, other countries would of course have a say on this, but we`re not talking about an accession. (Former European judge) David Edward made the point when he said it would be a treaty amendment scenario, not a new accession treaty. We`re in the EU, we`d have a process of negotiating the terms of our continued membership, but it`s not equivalent to a full-blown accession."

Continued membership?

At best this is naïve and at worst this is downright deceit, there is no treaty between the Scottish Government and the EU.

The Scottish Government doesn’t, and never has held a membership, therefore everything must be done from scratch, and it will be a lengthy process.

This intervention is another knee jerk response from the out of touch SNP Government who is looking increasingly bizarre when it comes to domestic and international law issues.

Bams!

Scottish Secretary Michael Moore set out the UK Government's understanding of new legal analysis on the implications of independence last week.

Fronting that effort was two eminent international lawyers.

James Crawford, Whewell Professor of International Law at the University of Cambridge, and Alan Boyle, Professor of Public International Law at the University of Edinburgh.

They have pinpointed the most likely outcome of Scottish independence in their 100 page document, the continuation of the UK as the existing state under international law and the creation of a new state of Scotland.

New states require EU membership from scratch, and as much as Ms Sturgeon wants to duck and dive like a shoddy car boot salesman selling tat, no one is buying her wares.

Claims have been made by the SNP Governmentthat Scotland would remain a member of existing international organisations such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the EU.

That flawed analysis has been dismissed as, at best, inconclusive according to the expert analysis of Crawford and Boyle..

Speaking at the time, Ms Sturgeon declared the UK Government's position was "hugely arrogant".

She said:

"A legal opinion is just that there are opinions from other legal experts that say the opposite, that Scotland would be a co-equal successor state. International law is not settled, the reality is these matters would be settled by negotiations."

Well, as the old saying goes, legal opinions are like arseholes, everyone has got one, but on this matter, Ms Sturgeon better get some shoes for her hands if she intends to keep speaking out her arse because health and safety would probably require that her opponents remain fairly upright so as not to damage their backs leaning over.

For the unionist camp, the incompetence shown by Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon on the EU and in the wider Yes Salmond Camp is a godsend.

Scottish Labour's Patricia Ferguson described the issue of Europe as an "open wound" for the SNP.

Wounded by the ‘spear of stupidity’ rather than the ‘spear of destiny’!

Ms Fergusson said:

"Nicola Sturgeon said an independent Scotland would get automatic entry to the EU which was completely wrong. Alex Salmond said he had legal advice on the issue which was completely untrue”.

Sadly, Law isn’t a strong point of the Nationalist leadership, they think they are so smart, but sadly their provincial minded approach lacks real integrity.

She added:

“The truth is that if Scotland left the UK we would have to apply to join the EU. That is what the president of the European Commission has said. That is what the overwhelming amount of legal opinion says. But Nicola Sturgeon can't admit the truth and just continues to make it up as she goes along. Almost every time she says something about the EU she is proven wrong and then makes up another tall tale. Nicola Sturgeon's opinion on the EU isn't news. The day she tells the truth about it will be."

Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is sinking; as she struggles she sinks deeper and deeper into the morass of the SNP Government’s own making.

And making up a story that seems plausible to hoodwink voters is a fool’s strategy.

Maybe Ms. Sturgeon should be addressing the home front such as 80,000 fewer part time college places denied to ordinary working class Scots before she ventures onto foreign shores!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University