Scotland A European Nation

Yes For EU invited Dr Philippa Whitford MP to speak on the subject of “Scotland a European Nation”. Dr Whitford brings her trademark clarity and common sense to the discussion. She covers

• the damage that Brexit is doing to the UK, including to the Scottish economy;
• how independent Scotland would benefit from full EU membership;
• Borders between an independent Scotland and rUK
• how EFTA/EEA membership would make Scotland a rule-taker and maintain most trade barriers
• why the EU would welcome Scotland as an equal trading partner.
• how can we persuade the 70% of Scottish voters who want to rejoin the EU that independence is the only route back to Europe, now that all the main English political parties are pro-Brexit?

There is also a short Q+A session at the end. We hope you enjoy the podcast. We did!

Scotland A European Nation talk took place on Europe Day.

Philippa is MP for Central Ayrshire and currently SNP Spokesperson for Scotland. Before that she was Spokesperson for Europe. She is an ardent supporter of Scotland rejoining the EU after independence. So it was very apt that the event was held on Europe Day.

Europe Day is held on 9 May every year celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historic ‘Schuman declaration‘ that set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable. Schuman’s proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union.

Our Europe Playlist

Our Europe playlist features other podcasts covering topics like Scotland’s place in Europe, the likely timeline for an independent Scotland joining EU, comparisons of EU and EFTA/EEA membership.

In Pathways to Europe, Dr Kirsty Hughes describes to process by which an independent Scotland could join the EU within 4-5 years from independence. Once Scotland has been accepted as a candidate, participated in negotiations and undertaken all the adjustments that would be demanded by the EU during that process, it is expected that all 27 EU member states would ratify the EU treaty.  Find out more: An Independent Scotland in the EU: Issues for Accession Edited by Kirsty Hughes, 17 March 2020

Yes for EU

You can watch the video version of Scotland A European Nation on Yes For EU’s Youtube channel.

Yes for EU is a campaign by pro-EU activists lobbying for Scottish Independence, which is the best means for Scotland to join the EU now that UK Labour is a Brexit party. Supporters are diverse, including new Scots and Scots who voted ‘No’ in 2014. 

Yes for EU’s shared passion is to promote peace, human rights, climate action, educational and research opportunities, economic wellbeing and freedom of movement – all the benefits that independence and full membership of the European Union will bring.
 
Yes for EU campaigns on a cross-party basis, supporting those political parties which already promote independence / self-determination and lobbying other parties to do so.
 
Through involvement in the protracted anti-Brexit campaign, Yes for EU activists have extensive experience of a range of campaign activities, including organising major marches/rallies, hustings and public meetings, regular stalls and vigils, etc.
 
Through such activities Yes for EU supporters have engaged effectively with members of the public, with local and regional elected representatives for Edinburgh and Lothians, and with other bodies and individuals.
 

Yes for EU Objectives

• to campaign for Scotland to join the EU via independence.
• to raise awareness of the benefits of an independent Scotland being a full member of the EU.
• to work with other cross-party, pro-independence organisations to achieve the first two objectives.