Regardless of the First Minister’s impressive victory over Andrew Marr’s dishonesty yesterday, ‘giving him and his researchers a doing‘ as Ruth Davidson claimed Andrew Neil had done to her last year, the MSM will now put all of their efforts into persuading voters that the SNP is somehow weakened by the dodgy predictions of the IFS and the need for a hard border at Berwick should we become independent within Europe, as a clear majority of us desire.
I’ll leave the deficit for another time and just repeat the First Minister’s point that the IFS report makes the case for independence and for making better decisions than Westminster.
As for the Border, there is, of course, the obvious example of a smooth relatively unproblematic ‘smart‘ solution close at hand in the Norway/Sweden border, with average waiting times of only 8 minutes for checks affecting lorries (10 times as many as at Dover), scanned by an x-ray system, and with only sporadic checks of cars:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41412561
This type of ‘smart’ border is explored in a paper by the Scottish Independence Commission in March 2021, not read by the Marr show researchers. This section makes clear the possibilities and may be the source for suggestion that such a border will create income generation through more efficient collection of taxation:
The paper highlights how creating ‘smart borders’ will mean that 90% of import customs
revenue and legislative controls can be collected and legally enforced within our authority –
giving Scotland clear evidence of fulfilling EU membership requirements (EU Acquis). This
dispels the notion that when independent, Scotland will be forced into accepting a border
arrangement that England decides. Scotland can create and manage a border of its own
making and it will be up to England to do likewise.
A Scottish Customs Service will prioritise the training and hiring of custom staff, in contrast
to the job losses experienced under the governance of the UK. This paper suggests that
whilst the UK has cut customs staff over the last two decades, Scotland can benefit by doing
things differently. Currently HMRC costs 1p for every pound collected but as this paper
shows, this impressive efficiency is undermined by the small number of dedicated staff. For
example, whereas the DWP has approximately 3,000 investigators, the HMRC has only 300
spread across the whole of the UK to deal with massive revenue frauds. An independent
Scotland will aim to maintain this collection ratio while increasing the number of staff.
Since HM Customs and Excise closed in 2005, there have been no Customs officers at Glasgow or Edinburgh points of import. This is something that Scotland can choose to rectify and ensure there are highly trained staff at our ports, airports and bases across our country. This will bring well-paid jobs to many rural centres.
Full report here:
Click to access SIC-Transition-Paper-1-Smart-Borders-1k-Final.pdf
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
See also this. https://commonweal.scot/library/an-independent-scotlands-borders-and-customs-principles-and-approaches/
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Therecwas a smooth border in Ireland for years. The Tories have put up a border causing trouble. There is trouble in NI now because of it as they were warned. Yet they claimed it would be trouble free. The Tories will have to go because of Brexit.
Useless Labour will have to make a case for closer ties with the EU. To save the British economy. If they had a clue. The Brexit vote was flawed and illegal. The majority want to stay in Europe. Many have changed their minds and will vote SNP/Alba for Independence.
The Tories had to get rid of Thatcher for closer ties with Europe to aid the UK economy. Geoffrey Howe. Johnston will have to go. The corruption and sleaze permeating from Downing Street.
There will be no border problems which cannot be resolved by agreement. Or new routes found for goods, services and people. That is already happening. Brexit is a catastrophe and will ruin the economy. The Tories ruining the economy once again to line their pockets. Many people will realise and vote the Tories out. They already are shown to be corrupt and self serving hypocrites. Another total Westminster shambles costing Scotland dear.
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I’m quite puzzled…
England voted for Brexit so that they would have the ‘freedom’ to trade with the whole wide world. What’s their problem with trading with an independent Scotland?
Just asking…..
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Of course the obvious retort to the spurious hard border bollocks is that the pandemic emphasised the need for Scotland to regain controll of our borders. 10,000 people died in Scotland because westminster decided not to lockdown when told by the FM and refused to shut down foreign travel as NZ did. It’s that simple.
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Such a pity we did not have a border at the beginning of the pandemic
And such has cost Scotland very very dear both in Human lifes and a massive economic cost
Add that to Brexit then give the scenario
To the IFS and see what they come up with
If IFS say impossible to calculate
Point them to Sweden/Norway and tell them that tis they the IFS that are mpossible
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Marr deliberately and completely ignored the current election to concentrate on bad indy/SNP/EU on the FM’s interview, but suspect he was also attempting to distort current UK realities over exports to imply business losses to Scotland, the too wee too poor etc nonsense Scots have become numbed to.
First, it is NOT Scotland exports which would pose difficulties but imports specifically from E&W in quite specific sectors requiring phytosanitary checks – As Scotland is a net exporter of such produce the problem would be miniscule proportional to freight volumes.
Secondly, it is not an imminent problem, the hurdles of an indy referendum then a EU referendum have to have still to be crossed before this becomes a potential issue. We are talking years, and one would hope by then E&W would have learned how to do things correctly, none of this is rocket science, even if George Useless etc struggle with it.
Marr’s red herrings should be left to rot where they lie.
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A few years ago we went with our Swedish friends to Nordkap; this entailed crossing into Finland (EU) from there into Norway (not EU) and on return journey travelling straight back into Sweden (EU) no border checks anywhere to be seen.
On a trip to Finland over 20 years ago we visited a nature reserve early morning very close to the Russian border where we met a Swedish border guard who pointed across to the Russian border post which was singularly lacking in guards. The reason for this was that they didn’t come on duty till 9am and went away again at 5pm.
Difficulties at a Scottish/English border – aye right!
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The MSM mindset seems to be that if something can be IMAGINED, then no matter how UNLIKELY it is, then it actually EXISTS as far as Scotland is concerned and is, therefore, INSUPERABLE.
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I thought the second half of that sentence was going to be ‘then WM will probably do it, just to be difficult’. 🙂
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SHE SKELPED MARRs ERSE on SUNDAY
HES GETTING TO OLD FORVTHIS GAME HE PAYS
NEEDS BORIS TO INTERVIEW TO MAKE LIFECEASY FOR BOTH OF THEM
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