How would Scottish Euroscepticism differ from its national counterpart? Many of the basic arguments and viable alternatives sound the same. Reading George Kerevan writing in The Scotsman on EFTA and NAFTA, I am taken aback as to the parallels between the author and Daniel Hannan. But the article soon breaks down under one glaring omission: and it is the cardinal vice on all commentators who discuss Scotland's future. They try and avoid the bigger country just to the south of them. So there is no attempt to think: what would happen if both the UK and Scotland voted to leave the EU. How do we co-operate?
Even more pessimistic for any future Scotland is the policy mistakes that independence would perpetuate (for a while). Kerevan points out that lack of an entrepreneurial culture and immediately identifies the appropriate policies...not! Cheap credit, export subsidies, picking winners through state aid: no doubt moving on to capital controls, financial repression and import substitution.
Every part of the UK, where together or apart, would be better off out. There is no need to nationalise Euroscepticism; the article only reminds us of the lack of grace within Scottish political discourse. They turn away from the Irish, the Welsh and ourselves at their peril.