The Scots can’t afford to go it alone

WITH the Scottish National Party becoming ever more vocal in their demands to break away from the rest of the UK, I wonder how they intend to fund an independent Scotland?

Originally North Sea energy was to be the provider of much of their revenue, however the finance now provided by this source is only a fraction of what the SNP originally budgeted and cannot be relied upon for much longer, as fossil fuels are being overtaken by sustainable energy.

There would be a hard border between Scotland and the rest of the UK and given that over 60% of Scotland’s exports come south, there would be a significant impact on revenues from this source.

An independent Scotland would also lose their share of the public expenditure budget automatically allocated by Westminster to the three devolved nations.

This is known as the Barnett formula and in 2014 made up around 85% of the Scottish parliament’s total budget.

There would be a loss of jobs in Scotland, leading to a loss of tax income and increase in unemployment as UK government, civil service and defence positions would transfer to the remainder of the UK.

Now that the UK has left the EU, an independent Scotland would have to apply for membership to the EU and it is by no means certain that it would qualify, or that the EU would want another economy to shore up.

It should be remembered that there are now only three net contributors to the EU, the other 24 nations take out more than they put in.

I believe it is now time for the Highland Harridan to take the emotion out of the SNP’s campaign and be honest with the population of Scotland regarding the true cost of independence.

The Scots have an undeserved reputation for being canny with their money but they can’t afford to go it alone.

Dave Chafer Yeovil Somerset