Is Salmond Going To Open Pandora’s Box?

By virtue of the Edinburgh Agreement (2012) signed by the British Prime Minister and Scotland’s First Minister; on the 18^th of September, the people of Scotland are going to decide whether they will remain in the United Kingdom or form an independent country.

The leader of the YES movement and the Scottish National Party (SNP), Alex Salmond, promises people precisely what they want to hear by painting a vivid picture of an independent Scotland – the land of milk and heather honey; the fulfilment of dreams of many. This quest for self-determination is very brave indeed but shouldn’t all “yes” voters stop for a second and think deeply if their future is really going to look that bright? Those who are on the other side of the political spectrum worry, that if Scotland gives a green light to estrangement, this so-called dream about independence will turn very quickly into a true nightmare for all Scots. If the marriage between England and Scotland after more than 300 years (the Union between them was created in 1707) comes to an end, it will burn the bridges between those two countries and as usually, in case of a painful divorce, those who are going to suffer the most are going to be the children – the Scottish children. There is a huge probability that Scotland will become an isolated, weak state outside of the EU and NATO. Well, after the recent declarations, it could count on the support of North Korea, but is it something Scotland really wants after all those years throughout which, as a part of the Kingdom, together with the English, the Northern Irish and the Welsh, it initiated the Industrial Revolution, created the biggest Empire which the world has ever seen, and successfully won the battle against fascism and communism?

Image courtesy of Lawrence OP © 2014, some rights reserved.

The Scots need to realise that this referendum is not about expressing their negative feelings towards, in the words of David Cameron: “the effying Tories”, who have been uncherished there from the beginning of the premiership of Margaret Thatcher (1979), onwards. It is also not the right time to manifest their Anglophobia; it is time to burst the bubble in which Mr Salmond and his supporters have lived and scrupulously analyse the disastrous economic and political consequences for Scotland, if it really becomes independent.

In 1999, the current Scotland’s First Minister claimed that pound is a “millstone around Scotland’s neck” – not that long ago, he made a sudden U-turn and today, he is desperately trying to enable Scotland to keep the British pound. But, let’s make it clear, Mr Salmond: if Scotland votes “yes” on Thursday, you will NOT be able to keep the pound sterling. As the Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, announced recently (repeating what earlier on this year, had been said by inter alia: George Osborne, Ed Balls or Danny Alexander): “A currency union is incompatible with sovereignty.” You are either within the Union and enjoy having the stable and strong currency, or you are outside of it and then, in the best case scenario; you are left at the mercy of the European Union and their euro. What makes the situation even more tragic, is the fact that the Scottish (re)entry to the EU might become very problematic, as in accordance with the letter of European law, each newly-created country needs to be officially recognised by all 28 member states. It is highly doubtful that there is a single person in the Old World, who actually believes that for example: the Rajoy Administration, worried about the status of Catalonia, will recognise Scotland.  Furthermore, the President of the European Commission – Jean-Claude Juncker, proclaimed that in the next five years, the EU is not planning “to take on any new members, but would rather consolidate what has been achieved among the [existing] 28”. It is perfectly certain that independent Scotland will end up like Kosovo which still hasn’t been recognised by Spain and Cyprus and because of that, cannot apply for the EU membership.

The consequences of the split with Britain, will be visible immediately: the market will lose its credibility, which will effectively discourage the present and potential future investors; the businesses will be moving out of Scotland. If Scotland leaves the Union, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds have already announced that they will relocate their headquarters to London, followed by Standard Life’s decision about moving their jobs to England too. ASDA and John Lewis have warned that the prices will increase significantly and just to make the separatists’ position worse: the Scottish oil production zone turned out to be much smaller than the SNP members have claimed. In general, Pandora’s box will be open which will cause an overwhelming chaos and a long-lasting economic crisis will break out. Even famous Nessie of Loch Ness, probably being worried about the future of its lake, was reported to be leaving Scotland and moving somewhere closer to the South.