EU 'Sympathetic' Over Scotland

Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland - BBC News
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Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland

- BBC News
Image copyright AFP

A Scottish government minister has said he received a "sympathetic
hearing" from his European counterparts over Scotland's bid to
remain in the EU.
Farming minister Fergus Ewing said he had informal talks with other
agriculture ministers in Brussels.
He said senior European officials told him that they would like to see
Scotland as the EU's 28th member state.
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The prime minister has said that he wants the best deal for Scotland
and the UK.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson warned against "hijacking" the
EU result to force an independence vote
Scotland voted by 62% to 38% to remain in the European Union, but
faces the prospect of having to leave the EU regardless after the UK
as a whole voted 52% to 48% for Brexit.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described that situation as a
"democratic outrage" and has pledged to examine every potential
avenue for keeping Scotland in the EU.
She has also raised the possibility of a second independence
referendum - with some experts believing it would be impossible for
Scotland to remain a member of both the EU and the UK after Brexit
is complete.
In other developments:
Mr Ewing said he had spoken to the French, German and Irish
agriculture ministers in Brussels on Monday, and had been given a
"sympathetic hearing".
He added: "We had constructive talks and we are keen to continue a
dialogue with those member states over the coming weeks and
months."
Analysis - Sarah Smith, BBC's Scotland editor
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Image copyright AP
"If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs... you
will be a man, my son" wrote Rudyard Kipling. He may have got the
gender wrong but he could have been talking about Nicola
Sturgeon.
In the immediate aftermath of the EU referendum result, the first
minister of Scotland has seized the opportunity to make herself look
like the only grown-up in the room.
Whilst Labour and Tory politicians are playing cricket, hanging out
at Glastonbury or hiding away indoors Nicola Sturgeon pulled on the
power heels and took charge.
Read more from Sarah Smith's blog
Mr Ewing said he was encouraged by other indications of support

within the EU, adding: "Over the past 24 hours, senior officials in
Europe have said they would like to see Scotland as the 28th
member state."
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But he declined to name any of these officials, according to the

Reuters news agency.
Prime Minister David Cameron told the Commons that different
parts of the United Kingdom would be involved in consultations on
withdrawal from the European Union.
He added: "Scotland benefits from being in two single markets. In
my view the best outcome is to try and keep Scotland in both."
The SNP's leader at Westminster, Angus Robertson, told Mr
Cameron that his party had "no intention whatsoever of seeing
Scotland taken out of Europe".
He added: "That would be totally, totally democratically
unacceptable.
"We are a European country and we will stay a European country
and if that means we have to have an independence referendum to
protect Scotland's place then so be it."
Douglas Fraser analysis - Is EU associate membership really

an option?
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Image copyright Thinkstock

As part of the kingdom of Denmark, Greenland chose an Arctexit
from the EU in 1985 while remaining tied to Copenhagen, and while
Denmark remained a full member. This required a deal to be struck
on access to fishery stocks.
So that's why you may have heard mention of a "reverse
Greenland".
The idea seems to be that if a member state can split in such a way
that one, smaller bit remains in the union and another bigger bit
does not, then could that precedent be applied to Scotland within the
UK, but with the bigger bit leaving and the smaller one staying?
Could Scotland's mandate for membership be respected by the
Brussels institutions, giving it a new status of, say, associate
membership?
Read more from Douglas' blog
Ms Sturgeon held talks over the EU referendum result with Irish

president Michael Higgins in Edinburgh on Monday, and has
indicated she was seeking to build "common cause" with London,
Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, which also voted to remain in the EU.
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Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of Gibraltar, told the BBC that one
possibility under discussion was for Gibraltar and Scotland, as well
as potentially Northern Ireland, to maintain the UK's membership of
the bloc.
Mr Picardo told Newsnight: "I can imagine a situation where some
parts of what is today the member state United Kingdom are
stripped out and others remain."
The Scottish Parliament will debate the EU referendum result on
Tuesday, with Ms Sturgeon asking MSPs to allow her to begin talks
with officials from the UK, EU and other member states aimed at
securing Scotland's position in the EU.
Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Scottish Greens have already
indicated they will fully support Ms Sturgeon's motion.
But Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson told BBC Scotland
her party could not support Ms Sturgeon in any attempt to "hijack"
the EU referendum result in order to hold another independence
referendum.
She argued that people did not need further division and instability
on top of that already caused by the EU vote, adding: "You don't
solve coming out of one union by coming out of another."
6/28/2016 1:18 PM

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Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland - BBC News

Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland

Image copyright AFP

Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland - BBC News

Analysis - Sarah Smith, BBC's Scotland editor

Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland - BBC News

Mr Ewing said he was encouraged by other indications of support

Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland - BBC News

But he declined to name any of these officials, according to the

Douglas Fraser analysis - Is EU associate membership really

Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland - BBC News

Image copyright Thinkstock

Ms Sturgeon held talks over the EU referendum result with Irish

Ewing: EU 'sympathetic' over Scotland - BBC News

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