ABSTRACT
Scotland is on the edge. It is not only on the edge of Europe, but also on the edge of the major island of the British and Hibernian Archipelago. From 1707 the Scots became coadjutors in the formation of the British Empire, securing economic advantages as well as countless professional, military and administrative offices within that Empire. Scottish nationalism required another makeweight to the dangers of the English and this lay to hand in the European Economic Community, as it then was. Scottish nationalism took up the cry of an independent Scotland within Europe. Scotland has been a major beneficiary of European Union regional development funds, particularly in the islands. Scottish farming is entirely dependent on Common Agricultural Policy subsidies. Brexit is therefore highly likely to increase tensions between Scotland and England. Political habits may diverge further and the relative success of the Conservatives in the recent Scottish election could well be reversed.
