The Nordic countries have a veritable smörgåsbord of relationships with the European Union, from in to out to somewhere in between. So, what does that mean for Scotland? Well, somewhere in this incredible diversity of relationships with Europe is an arrangement that’s likely to be good for Scotland too – strangely enough, maybe more than one. Inside or outside the UK, Scotland wants to keep trade and cultural links with Europe – that much is clear. But is the EU really the best club in town for an independent Scotland? Or would Scots benefit from ‘doing a Norway’ – joining the halfway house of the EEA and keeping the Single Market but losing the troublesome Common Fisheries and Agriculture Policies? Would an independent Scotland need the support and shelter of another union – or could the nation stand alone like the tiny Faroes or Iceland? These tough questions have already been faced and resolved by five Nordic nations and their autonomous territories within the last 40 years. Perhaps there’s something for Scotland to learn? The unique combination of personal experience and experts’ insights give this book its hands-on character: pragmatic and thought-provoking, challenging and instructive, full of amazing stories and useful comparisons, enriching the debates about Scotland’s post-Brexit future as a Nordic neighbour.
Scotland’s response to Britain’s divided Brexit vote has been positively Nordic – Scots expect diversity and empowerment to be entirely possible – whilst Westminster’s reaction has been decidedly British. One singer – one song. One deal for everyone – end of. Lesley Riddoch
Of course, the majority of Nordic nations are eu members. But perhaps the eea is a closer fit for Scotland? Perhaps, too, a viable halfway house option would boost support for Scottish independence? Especially since Holyrood may not automatically retrieve powers from Europe post Brexit. Paddy Bort
Sobre o autor
Eberhard ‘Paddy’ Bort was the Convener and Director of Studies of the Academy of Government’s Parliamentary Internship Programme. His teaching at Edinburgh University included Scottish Society and Culture, Contemporary Irish Politics, The Politics of Borders, and British Studies. He was also Book Reviews Editor of Scottish Affairs. He came to Edinburgh from Tübingen in 1995 on a research contract – to study the borders of the European Union – which included the peculiar arrangement in place at that time at the Finnish-Russian border. His interest in the Nordic countries had already been kindled when he attended a four-day conference in Trondheim in the early 1990s. At Edinburgh University, he helped to coordinate a series of visits by Danish English 140 teachers to Scotland, and was invited to be a guest teacher at a Gymnasium in Copenhagen. Before coming to Edinburgh in 1995, Paddy worked at Tübingen University in British and Irish Studies with Professor Christopher Harvie and taught German Studies at Trinity College, Dublin, and at the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington, USA. He also served for 15 years as a town councillor in Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany and was thus keenly interested in questions of local democracy, where the Nordic countries offer a sharp contrast to the Scottish situation. When he once explained the Scottish system of local governance to a Finnish colleague, he nearly fell off his char in disbelief. While Scotland has 1, 223 elected councillors covering the whole of Scotland in 32 ‘local’ councils, Finland has 311 councils with over 10, 000 elected councillors. As a committed ‘folkie’, Paddy published four volumes on Hamish Henderson, the ‘father of the Scottish folk revival’ – and there is another yet to be published. He also published books and articles in learned journals on Irish and Scottish politics, society and culture and on uk devolution and European regionalism. Paddy died suddenly in Edinburgh in February 2017 while completing this book. We miss him hugely.
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