THIS evening marks the second anniversary of the UK’s formal withdrawal from the European Union.
I ALWAYS believe it is worth being candid that independence would require a fundamental transformation of how Scottish institutions interact with the rest of Europe and the wider world. Making Scotland into a state would require the development of full EU and foreign policies of a breadth and depth never seen under devolution. Relabelling what exists now would deliver only a small fraction of what would be needed.
SIMPLICITY has never been a feature of Brexit. Although many of the arguments made for it were simplistic, leaving the EU was a profound constitutional change. Its legacy will affect us for decades to come.
OVER the years, supporters of Brexit have sought to advance a range of different, if unconvincing, arguments for leaving the EU.
DURING the years of Brexit debate and negotiations following the EU referendum, one question in particular often arose: Would people notice Brexit, once done, in their everyday lives?
WHEN thinking about the independence debate, I often divide it into two parts. The first part is the procedural debate on whether (and how) a referendum should happen. The second part is the substantive debate on whether Scotland should become independent.
ONE of the most notable features of the Brexit debate was its relentless focus on economics and trade. Both are important, of course, but European integration is much more than just commerce and the EU is much more than just a market.
Following their phone call today, Ursula von der Leyen and Boris Johnson confirmed that the protracted EU-UK future relationship negotiations will continue.
THE Brexit transition expires three weeks from today – yet, we still have no clarity on the future relationship between the EU and the UK.
