Key questions on independence white paper answered
When will Scotland become independent?
White paper
The Scottish Government s intention is that Scotland will become independent on 24 March 2016. Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael also warned that the 2015 general election would be a further complicating factor. I have no doubt that the terms of the negotiation between Scotland and the rest of the UK would be a substantial, if not dominant, issue in the general election of 2015, he said.
The expert view
The SNP government has quoted the UK government s own expert legal adviser, Professor James Crawford, who said the timescale for achieving independence was realistic . Asked if signing or renegotiating thousands of treatiespatagonia better sweater jacket natural that applied to the UK would be a majpatagonia atom sling bag review2or headache for a new country, he said: The Scottish estimate is about 18 months and that seems realistic. But he said that while United Nations membership would be straightforward , European Union membership would be more difficult. There are things to negotiate, such as the British opt out and financial contributions. Those aren t automatic.
Will Scotland have security posts at the land border with England?
White paper
No. Erecting border controls with Scotland would be inconvenient for all Common Travel Area partners, including Scotland and the rest of the UK and would not be in the interests of any party. Scottish Tory infrastructure spokesman Alex Johnstone said: The rest of the UK would see Scotland as a soft point of entry. new patagonia houdiniAs a result, that wopatagonia r1 hoody best priceuld obviously require some form of border patrol. Labour shadow immigration minister David Hanson said: If the SNP wants an independent Scotland to have a radically different immigration policy from the UK, it raises the frightening prospect of border posts.
The expert view
Dr Scott Blinder, acting director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: Scotland and the rest of the UK share a border, so any policies that are introduced by an independent patagonia atom sling bag reviewScotland have the potential to affect other parts of the UK, which may have ramifications for Scotland. He added: There apatagonia atom sling bag review1re ways to move away from a one size fits all immigration policy, and Canada provides one example of that$299 nwt new mens patagonia pembroke black wind & waterproof storm jacket, but these policies bring their own challenges with implementation and enforcement. Whether this sort of approach would be feasible in the UK, or palatable to governments on either side of the border is, as yet, impossible to say.
Can I have both Scottish and British citizenship?
White paper
We will not place obstacles in the way of individuals holding Scottish citizenship alongside British or any other citizenship. The UK allows dual or multiple citizenship. Any decision on patagonia chile and argentina best time to travelretention of UK citizenship by Scottish citizens after independence would be affected by future Scottish Government policy decisions, she said.
The expert view
Professor Bernard Ryan of Leicester University wrote recently that it is to be presumed that a post referendum UK would accept dual nationality. He added: It does not follow, however, that dual nationality would be available to all persons who were British citizens prior to independence and who then became Scottish citizens. The British government might want to remove British citizenship from Scottish citizepatagonia atom sling bag review0ns who had no personal connection to the rest of the UK. Equally, the Scottish Government might object to a situation where too many Scottish citizens remained British citizens.
How long will it take to remove Trident from Scotland and who will bear the cost?
White paper
Following a vote for independence, we would make early agreement on removal of nuclear weapons a priority. This would be with a view to the removal of Trident within the first term of the Scottish Parliament following independence. To ensure Scotland is not unilaterally dispatagonia guide jacket logosarmed, Labour MP Iain Davidson, the chair of tpatagonia guide jacket of withstandinghe Scottish affairs committee, has said an alternative would keep Trident operating out of Scotland for 20 years until an alternative base is developed.
The expert view
Professor Malcolm Chalmers of the think tank the Royal United Services Institute, has argued that the most likely scenario after independence is a deal between the UK and Scotland which would involve a lonpatagonia guide pants you can ripg term basing arrangement for Trident . This would see nuclear weapons remaining in an indepepatagonia guide pants 60ndent Scotland for aspatagonia atom sling bag review3 long as 20 years. However, the SNP government insists that it will not delay Trident s departure, and will insist they are removed by the end of the first parliament, in 2020.
