THE NATIONAL’s revelation that Spain will not block an independent Scotland’s entry to the EU was hailed in Holyrood yesterday as proof of another “Better Together scare story” biting the dust.
In yesterday’s paper we revealed that Miguel Angel Vecino Quintana, the Spanish Consul General in Edinburgh, had sent a copy of a letter to Scottish civil servants saying that it has “always” been Madrid’s policy not to veto an independent Scotland membership of the bloc.
During question time in Holyrood yesterday, the SNP backbencher Gail Ross asked Deputy First Minister if he welcomed that intervention from Spain.
John Swinney said it confirmed the fact “that – as we have always known – Spain would not block an independent Scotland from joining the European Union.”
He added: “Of course, that issue comes alongside the demolition of a host of other scare stories that were put about in 2014, such as having to vote no to protect our European Union membership—we know how well that went.
“Members of the public in Scotland were also told that they had to vote no to safeguard the future of the national health service, but Donald Trump is over here trying to get his hands on the NHS.
“We will have nothing to do with that on this Government’s watch; the same cannot be said for the Tories and the mess that they have got us into on Brexit.”
Quintana’s letter was written to an executive at The Herald – and cc’d to Scottish Government civil servants – after the paper published comments on April 16 made by the Spanish MEP Esteban Gonzalez Pons, whose centre-right party is in opposition.
Under the headline “Spanish MP says Scotland must join the end of the EU queue” the paper reported that Pons, of the centre-right Partido Popular claimed his party “would veto an independent Scotland from directly entering EU before Brexit”.
In his response, the Spanish Consul General wrote to said this not accurate reflection of his government’s policy.
“1. The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Joseph Borrell has recently declared that Spain will not block Scotland’s entry into the European Union if independence is legally achieved and such has always been the intention of the Spanish Government.
“2. The Spanish Government has not and never will intervene in the internal affairs of the United Kingdom or any other state and expects the same reciprocal attitude.
“3. Entry into the European Union does not depend at all in waiting in a queue like waiting in a shop for your turn to arrive, as stated by the former Conservative MP Gonzalez Pons. The European Union is joined if the economic and political conditions required by all the treaties that regulate it are fulfilled.”
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